


Someone Like You

by awriterofthings



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 02:30:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16254845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awriterofthings/pseuds/awriterofthings
Summary: Stacie sets Beca up on a blind-date with Chloe





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Chloe was sitting in her room watching a movie when she heard a knock at her door. Sighing, she paused it and let her roommate know she could enter.

          "What are you doing?" Aubrey asked as she entered the room. She looked at the television and rolled her eyes. "The Notebook... _again_?"

          "Don't judge me," Chloe huffed. "I want that." She gestured to the TV with her remote at the paused scene of the two main characters in an intimate embrace. "I don't understand why I always ends up with the worst people."

          Aubrey moved to sit beside her best friend. "I thought you were giving up on your love life." She reached into the bowl that Chloe was holding and took a handful of popcorn.         

          "I am. I'm just venting. Let me vent."

          Aubrey took the bowl away from Chloe. "Vent away," she said before eating the popcorn.

          "It's like I have "use and discard me" stamped on my forehead. I'm over dating and getting my heartbroken."

          "Let me choose your next girlfriend," Aubrey suggested. "I'd be the perfect matchmaker. I know you the best and I know who would click with you."

          "I don't want to click with anyone," Chloe stated. "I'm on a dating strike, remember?"

          Aubrey finished chewing the popcorn she was currently eating before responding. "You know that girl I met at the gym?"

          "Yeah." Chloe thought for a moment, trying to remember the name. "Stacie, right?"

          "Well, I asked her out tonight but she said no because she has plans with her sister _but_ she said if I could find someone for her sister, then she can come out."

          "So basically what I'm getting here is that you want me to join you for a blind-date because you want to see this chick?"

          Aubrey smiled and nodded. "Exactly. So are you in?"

          Chloe looked offended by the blonde's suggestion. "I'm healing here, Aubrey. Angela and I just broke up. I don't want to go on a date."

          "It'll be fun," Aubrey assured the redhead. "Please say yes." Aubrey pouted and looked at her best friend with the saddest puppy dog eyes.

          "No, I'm staying here and watching this movie," Chloe said.

          Aubrey rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. "I just gave you my best puppy dog look. Come on, you've been watching romantic movies and moping for two days. Getting out and doing something fun will be good for you. As your best friend, I can't allow you to mope any longer. Go on this double date with me."

          "You know what? Fine, but just this one time so you can get laid. At least one of us will have a good night."  

          Aubrey smiled triumphantly. "You'll have a good night too. I'll make sure of it." Aubrey handed Chloe back her bowl and got up from the bed. "I'm going to go call Stacie and tell her you're in."

          Chloe grunted a response and turned back on her movie. She reached into her bowl and when she was met with empty space, she sighed and set it on her nightstand.

          "And stop watching that movie!" Aubrey yelled from somewhere in the apartment.

          "It's a part of my healing process!" Chloe yelled back.

          "Come have a drink with me after I call Stacie!" Aubrey yelled back. "It'll help you heal faster!"

          Chloe turned off the TV and got out of bed. She made her way out into the living room and plopped down on the couch while she waited for Aubrey. She hoped this date she had reluctantly agreed to go on would at least be with someone who she could have a conversation with while Aubrey and Stacie flirted and made eyes at each other all night.

 

 

 

          Beca was sitting on her couch reading a book when she heard her phone vibrate on the coffee table followed by a robotic voice telling her that Stacie was calling. She stopped running her fingers over the Braille pages and set the book to the side before reaching for the phone on the table. "Hello?"

          "Hey, you. I kind of have a change of plans for us tonight?" Stacie said.

          "Do I want to know?" Beca asked.

          "Probably not but I think it'll be good for you."  

          "What is it?" Beca was almost afraid to ask.

          "I'm at your front door. I'm coming in."

          Beca heard the front door open and close and then the sound of her step-sister's footsteps. "What do you want to change our plans to?"

          Stacie sat down next to Beca. "Aubrey asked me out on a date... I told her I had plans with you but I'd be able to go out if she brought a friend a long for you."

          "No," Beca said before picking her book back up. "I'm not going on a pity date."

          "It's not a pity date," Stacie assured her.

          Beca began to run her fingers over the page but stopped when she felt Stacie's hand cover it. "Stacie I don't want to go on a blind-date."

          "Any date you go on is a blind-date," Stacie quipped. "Don't be difficult."

          Beca smirked at her sister's joke. "You're horrible and I'm still not going. Why don't you just go on a date with her by yourself?"

          "I'm not canceling on you," Stacie said. "We can all hangout. Her friend already agreed. Please, Beca."

          "You owe me," Beca said with a heavy sigh.

          "Thank you!" Stacie exclaimed. "I owe you one."

          "You owe me a lot," Beca corrected. "Can I borrow your vocals since you're here?"

          "Sure thing," Stacie said as she stood up.

          Beca set her book down again and got up. She made her way to the basement door easily and opened the door. She had been living in the house for a year now and could easily maneuver around it. Once downstairs in the basement where her recording studio was setup, Beca sat down in the booth while Stacie went to stand on the other side of the soundproof glass.

          Beca fiddled with a few buttons before speaking into the mic. "I need you to sing what we were working on yesterday." As Beca started the music, her mind drifted to thoughts of the date she had to go on tonight. She hoped her sister wasn't sticking her with someone who would drive her crazy all night.

 

 

 

          Aubrey quickly walked up to the restaurant she was supposed to meet Stacie and her sister at and opened the door. "I can't believe we're twenty minutes late."

          "That's all on you," Chloe said as she walked into the restaurant. "You're the one who could figure out what you wanted to wear, how you should wear your hair and how to accessorize."

          "I like her. I want to look good. Is that such a bad thing?" Aubrey asked.

          "When it makes you twenty minutes late, yes," Chloe answered with a smirk.

          "Hush, Aubrey said before smiling at the hostess who greeted them. "Hi, we're meeting our friends here. Conrad is what the reservation should be under."

          "Right this way." A man said before showing the women to their table.

          "Hey," Stacie smiled as she stood up to greet Aubrey.

          "Sorry we're late." Aubrey returned the smile and gestured to Chloe. "This is my best friend, Chloe. Chloe this is Stacie."

          "Chloe, hi." Stacie shook the redhead's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

          Beca stood up and Stacie placed a hand on the shorter woman's shoulder. "This is Beca."

          Chloe took in the fact that the brunette was wearing sunglasses inside and fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Hi, Beca."

          Beca held out her hand and Chloe shook it. "Nice to meet you." Beca carefully sat back down and the others did so as well.

          A waiter walked over to the table and greeted them. "Did you ladies want to order drinks to get started?"

          They ordered their drinks and after the waiter walked off, they began to talk and look at the menu. Beca had already been to this restaurant and didn't need to have Stacie tell her what was on it.

          "So, Chloe," Stacie began as she finished looking at the menu. "How long have you and Aubrey known each other?"

          "Twenty-four years. We grew up together. I have plenty of stories about our high school and college years to get us through dinner and then some."

          Stacie laughed at hearing this. "I'm all for embarrassing stories."

          Aubrey playfully glared at Chloe. "You're not the only one with embarrassing stories. I have an arsenal of information I could use against you."

          Chloe grinned, unfazed by the threat. "You know I don't embarrass easily." The redhead looked at Beca and then Stacie. "You two are sisters?" They didn't look anything alike so she was a bit thrown by this.

          "Step-sisters," Beca answered. "My dad married her mom when we were fifteen. It took some getting used to but we eventually came around and became great friends."

          The waiter returned with their drinks, placing each glass on the table and then taking their order before disappearing again.

          Stacie tapped her finger on the table near Beca's glass as she continued to speak to Aubrey and Chloe. Beca placed her hand on the table and carefully slid it towards the faint sound until her fingers hit the glass. Stacie stopped her actions and Beca picked up her drink to sip it. The tapping was something Stacie started doing without giving it much thought. It helped Beca locate her drink without her having to hand it to her and once the brunette knew where to feel for the glass, she was good for the rest of the night.

          Chloe had noticed Beca feel for her glass and realized that the petite brunette was blind. "You're blind?" She asked, casually.

          "I am," Beca answered.

          "Thank god," Chloe blurted out. The redhead cringed at how that might've sounded to the table. "I mean, you're wearing sunglasses and my first thought was that you were a tool for wearing them inside but now I get why you have them on. I should probably stop talking."

          Beca smiled at the woman's rambling. "No, it's fine. I'm glad you don't think I'm a tool anymore."

          Chloe smirked and spoke playfully. "Well the night is still young."

          Beca laughed lightly. "True statement."

          "Don't worry," Stacie said with a smirk. "Beca's one of the good ones... even if she does annoy me a lot of the time."

          "You love me," Beca shot back, good-naturedly.

          "Do you two live together?" Aubrey asked.

          "God no," Beca replied, quickly.

          Stacie feigned offense. "Don't say it like that. I'd be an awesome roommate."

          Beca shook her head. "We lived together while we went to college. You drove me insane."

          "It's not my fault you have an OCD about how you like things," Stacie said, jokingly. Living together hadn't actually been that bad for them. Stacie could be a bit of a slob sometimes, which had frustrated Beca but she never left anything around that the girl could hurt herself on. It was mostly Stacie just not replacing finished food and detergent fast enough that had been her worst habit.

          "It's not an OCD, Stacie. I like knowing where everything is. It's a necessity." Beca and Stacie bantered all the time. It was how their relationship was and Beca enjoyed it.

          After awhile the conversation became just Aubrey and Stacie talking, which caused Chloe to scoot her chair closer to Beca.

          "I guess we're invisible now," she joked.

          Beca smiled. "We can just make fun of how into each other they are. I can practically hear the admiration in their voices."

          "We should probably order alcohol so we can make it through dinner," Chloe suggested.

          "I don't drink," Beca said. "There's something about being blind _and_ drunk that is completely unappealing, but you can drink for the both of us."

          "Well, I don't need to drink. We can just make fun of these two. I bet you anything that they're playing footsies under the table."

          Beca laughed and the two continued to make fun of their friends. Chloe was pleased to know that what she thought was going to be a dull night was actually looking to be a fun one.

         

         

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 

          After dinner, the women were walking out of the restaurant when Stacie suggested that everyone go back to Beca's place. Beca was fine with it and the women made their way to their respective cars.

          Stacie started her car and glanced over at Beca before pulling out of the parking space. "So..."

          Beca smirked. "She's cool and fun to talk to."

          "And she's hot. Beca, seriously, she's freakin' hot. Long red hair, light blue eyes, a few inches taller than you. Go for it."

          "I'm not going for anything," Beca said. "I'm not looking to be in a relationship."

          "But you haven't dated anyone in months. As your sister and best friend, I'm telling you that you need to get laid."

          "You're ridiculous. I don't want to date. I'm content." This was a regular discussion Beca found herself in with Stacie and sadly, the worry about her personal life didn't stop with her sister. Her father and step-mother were famous for trying to set her up on dates.

          "Your vagina hates you," Stacie stated.

          Beca laughed at the sudden statement. "Excuse me?"

          "It's deprived. It needs Chloe's-,"

          "Please don't finish that sentence. It's not deprived. It's just not a hunter like yours and oh my god, can we please stop talking about this? This is not a normal conversation."

          Stacie grinned at the exasperation in Beca's voice. She had a tendency to drive the shorter woman crazy. "At least get her number. A new friend never hurts and then when you finally realize you need to get laid, you can make your move."

          "I don't know why I continue to associate myself with you."

          "Your life would be empty without my awesome presence."

          Beca knew that much was true.  Stacie had been there for her through a lot and she would never forget it. "Meh, you're all right."

          "Whatever, you know I'm awesome," Stacie said as she pulled up to Beca's house. "And for the record, it's not a hunter anymore. Don't let Aubrey hear you saying shit like that. I really like her."

          "I'll try not to ruin your perfect image," Beca said, sarcastically before she exited the car. She pulled open her cane that she used to walk around when she was outside. She counted the steps in her head from the driveway to her front door so she knew when she had reached her destination. 

          Aubrey and Chloe exited their car and joined the women at the front door.

          "Wow, Beca," Aubrey said as she admired the outside of the house. "This looks nice."

          Beca smirked. "I'll have to take your word for it." She fished her keys out and felt for the lock on the door before using her key to open it. "After you guys."

          The three women entered the house and Stacie led them into the living room.

          Beca closed her cane and set it on the small table by the door before making her way into the living room. "Did anyone need anything?"

          "Please tell me you have the bottle of wine I left here a few weeks ago," Stacie said.

          "I do," Beca assured her.

          "Perfect." Stacie looked at Aubrey and Chloe. "Want a glass?"

          "I'll take one," Aubrey said.

          "I'm good," Chloe said.

          "We'll be right back," Stacie said before leaving to go to the kitchen with Beca.

          Aubrey waited a few seconds before speaking to Chloe. "This house is gorgeous. I wonder what she does for a living."

          "Why don't you ask her?" Chloe replied.

          "I will," Aubrey said. "You are fine with being here, right?"

          Chloe smiled at her friend's concern. "I'm enjoying myself. Beca is highly entertaining." Chloe and Beca had easily conversed all through out dinner and Chloe found that she had laughed more with the brunette than she had with anyone in a long time.

          Aubrey grinned and Chloe could tell she was plotting from the look in her eyes. "You should ask her on a date."

          "I don't want to go on a date," Chloe said. "Friends, definitely. Nothing more, though. I'm happy being single right now."

          Aubrey rolled her eyes. "If you end up with fifty cats running around your house in a few years, I'm not visiting you."

          Chloe lightly slapped her friend on the thigh. "Shut up, that won't happen."

          A few minutes later, Beca and Stacie returned to the living room. Stacie handed Aubrey a glass and sat down beside the blonde before sipping her own wine.

          "Hey, Beca," Aubrey began. "What do you do for a living?"

          Stacie smiled big at the question. Everyone was always surprised when they found out that Beca produced music.

          "I'm a music producer," Beca replied. "My most recent track is Night Air."

          Aubrey and Chloe's eyes widened at hearing this.

          "Seriously?" Chloe blurted out.

          "Yeah, I know. Blind person producing music."

          "No, not that part! I love that song. Did you write the lyrics too?"

          "She did," Stacie jumped in. "Beca's modest about her talents. She can also sing. She does it all."

          "What other songs have you produced?" Aubrey asked.

          Beca went through a few songs that she had worked on and Aubrey watched as her best friend lit up at hearing that a majority of her favorite songs had been produced by Beca.

          "Wait, you're _the_ Beca Mitchell?" Chloe had seen the name and heard it from time to time but Beca stayed behind the scenes so she had never seen a picture of the woman. She got up from beside Aubrey and moved to sit next to Beca on the couch across from them.

          Stacie whispered something in Aubrey's ear causing the blonde to smile and nod her head. The two continued to talk softly, holding a private conversation.

          Chloe and Beca were having their own conversation and it made Beca happy to hear someone so enthusiastic about music.

          "Do you want to see my studio?" Beca asked.

          Chloe looked over at Aubrey and saw that her friend was busy flirting with Stacie. "Yeah, I'd love to."

          Beca stood up and exited the living room with Chloe. Once they were in the studio, Beca felt for the light and flipped it on.

          "Wow." Chloe looked around at the professionally assembled studio. "This is amazing. Do you have artists come here?"

          "Sometimes. I work at other studios too."

          "This is beyond cool. "I just worked out to one of your mixes on repeat this morning and now I'm speaking to you."

          Beca smiled at the awe she could hear in Chloe's voice. "I'm nothing special." She felt around for her swivel chair and sat down. "Do you want to sit? I'll play something for you."

          Chloe smiled and sat down in the chair beside Beca. When Beca heard the chair move, she gave Chloe a second to get comfortable before playing one her recent mixes.

          Chloe listened to the music as it filled the room and smiled at the mellowness of it. "There's a softer side to Beca Mitchell?"

          "It's just something new I thought I'd try," Beca smirked.

          "It's a nice instrumental," Chloe complimented, impressed by Beca's work. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the song. After a few seconds, curiosity got the best of her and she found herself asking a question that she hoped didn't offend Beca. "Were you born blind?"

          Beca didn't mind the question. Chloe was nice and she was sure she would be curious too if their positions were switched. "I wasn't. I lost my sight when I was sixteen. I've been blind for eight years."

          "Was it in accident?" Chloe asked.

          "No, genetics," Beca answered, simply. "I slowly began to lose my sight. I knew it was coming." Beca started up another song that Chloe would probably be familiar with and sat back in her chair. She smiled as she heard Chloe begin to sing along and was surprised by how nice she sounded.          

          "You can sing," Beca stated.

          "I'm aware," Chloe said, playfully. "I was in an a cappella group all throughout college." The redhead wasn't expecting the burst of laughter from the music producer and narrowed her eyes at the woman. "Hey, a cappella is amazing!"

          Beca smirked. "It's lame. I'm sorry, but it really is."

          "It's not lame. As a matter of fact, the top fifteen a cappella groups from the year I graduated college have been asked to reunite and participate in an alumni competition. You could help us out."

          "Are you being serious right now?" Beca asked, amused. "Are you asking me to be a part of an a cappella group?"

          "Technically you can't join us because only original members are allowed but you could spice up our musical selections. I love Aubrey, but she's old school. We never won at I.C.C.A's and this is our time to rectify that."

          "I.C.C.A?" Beca asked, confused by the abbreviation.

          "International championship of collegiate a cappella," Chloe clarified.

          "Hm, sounds intense," Beca said in mock seriousness. "I should leave the a cappella-ing to you professionals."

          Chloe laughed despite Beca not taking her seriously. "You're such an ass. You have a month before we all get together and start practicing. I'll be asking you again before then."

          Beca raised her eyebrows. "Oh yeah? That means you think we'll be talking more beyond tonight?"

          "We definitely will be. We're gonna be fast friends. I can tell. Let me see your phone. I'll put my number in it."

          Beca was surprised by the redhead's forwardness. It was different. She liked it. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked the screen before holding it out for Chloe to take.

          Chloe took the phone and input her number into it. She then sent herself a text message from the phone so she would have Beca's number. "Done. I texted myself so I have your number too."

          Beca held out her hand and Chloe placed the phone in her palm. "We'll probably be spending a lot of time together anyway seeing as how my best friend wants to get into the pants of your best friend."

          Chloe laughed. "This is true. I hope Stacie is patient. Aubrey is not easy."

          "Maybe that's why Stacie's so into her," Beca said. "She seems different than Stacie's usual type."

          "Your friend is serious about her, right?" Chloe asked. "I don't want Aubrey getting hurt."

          "Honestly, I don't know," Beca admitted. "But I do know that Stacie has never been this way with anyone before."

          "I can work with that for now," Chloe said. "Can you play another song?"

          "Any requests?" Beca asked.

          "Anything's fine. I know I'll like it," Chloe said, sincerely.

          Beca smiled and played another song for them to listen to. Time passed like this for an hour. Beca would play a song and the two would talk about anything that came to mind. Neither woman could remember a time when they felt this comfortable around someone other than their close friends and knew they would definitely be fast friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Two weeks later...

         

          Stacie was lying on Beca's bed while her sister changed into shorts and a tank top for their day out with Aubrey and Chloe.  

          "So Aubrey has a three-month rule," Stacie said, miserably. She wasn't used to having to wait. She lived her sex life much like that slayer from the show Beca watched when they were younger. Want, take, have. She definitely had the want and take part down when it came to Aubrey but that's as far as she had gotten.

          Beca began to put her hair up in a ponytail as she responded to her sister. "So does that mean you want to end things with her?"

          "What? No. I like her... a lot. I can wait. I'm just sexually frustrated. You would think she's this uptight control freak... well, she is... but she's also funny and can have a good time."

          Beca smirked. "Sounds like you've finally been tamed."

          "Yeah, maybe," Stacie agreed. "Anyway, you and Chloe have been talking a lot the past few days. What's going on there?"

          Beca turned in the direction of her bed and leaned against her dresser. "We're friends. The answer will be the same no matter how many times you ask it."

          Beca's phone rang and her phone spoke the name Ethan. Beca felt around for her phone on the dresser before picking it up to answer it. "Hey, Dad."

          "Hey,  sweetheart,  when are you and Stacie bringing your girlfriends over for dinner?"

          "I don't have a girlfriend," Beca said.

          "Stacie said you did."

          "Stacie lied."

          Stacie sat up on the bed and yelled so her step-dad could hear her through the phone. "I thought they'd be together by now! I was just predicting the future."

          "You predicted wrong," Beca informed her. "Sorry, Dad. Still living the single life. Listen, I'd love to talk about this but I have to go finish getting ready."

          "Where are you going?" Ethan asked.

          "Hiking with Stacie, her girlfriend, Aubrey and Aubrey's best friend, Chloe."

          "Hiking? Is that safe for you?" Ethan asked.

          "Of course it's safe. I'm not being thrown into the hunger games. I'm hiking. I've done it before."

          "You could trip over something and hurt yourself. It sounds like a bad idea, Becs."

          "I'm perfectly capable of walking," Beca assured the man. "I have to go." Beca hung up the phone before her father could say anything else. She knew the man was just worried about her safety but she was tired of being treated like she was fragile and couldn't do anything.

          "He's just overprotective," Stacie said as Beca let out a frustrated sigh. "Don't let it bother you."

          "It just gets old," Beca said. "He thinks I can't take care of myself."

          "He doesn't think that." Stacie got up from the bed and moved over to her sister.

          "He does. It's why he wants me to have a girlfriend," Beca added. "He wants someone to take care of me.

          The doorbell rang and Stacie placed a hand on Beca's shoulder. "I'll get it. Finish getting ready. And if it makes you feel any better, I don't want you to have a girlfriend necessarily. Just someone you can-,"

          "Go answer the door, Stacie," Beca cut her off, knowing whatever was said next would be dirty.

          Stacie left the room, laughing on the way Beca felt around on the nightstand for her sunglasses, slipping them on before putting on her shoes. She grabbed the backpack for hiking before she headed downstairs and she heard Aubrey and Chloe telling Stacie how excited they were about hiking.

          Chloe spotted Beca walking downstairs and smiled. "Hey, you." Her eyes trailed from the shorts Beca had on to the t-shirt that hugged her body just right.

          Noticing this action, Stacie grinned and clasped her fingers with Aubrey's. "We'll give you guys a moment," she said before leaving the house with her girlfriend.

          Beca descended the last stair. "Is it just us?"

          "It is," Chloe confirmed.

          "Sorry about her. She thinks we should date," Beca admitted.

          Chloe smiled at the information, amused since Aubrey was attempting to get her to ask Beca out. "Don't worry. Aubrey thinks the same thing. She just doesn't understand why I want to be single."

          "Well I understand so we can be each other's single friend," Beca joked.

          Chloe laughed. "That's perfect. Maybe we can watch a movie together sans the make-out fest that is Aubrey and Stacie."

          "I hate movies," Beca stated. "They're all cliché and predictable. Plus, the descriptive audio feature annoys me more than it helps me so I don't use it, which ends up leaving me confused.

          "You're obviously not watching the right kind of movies," Chloe stated. "Watch a movie with me tonight. You won't regret it."

          Beca had meant to say no. The word was right on the tip of her tongue but then she felt Chloe's warm, soft hands rubbing her upper arm. "I'm the best person to watch a movie with. You won't regret it."

          Beca nodded. "Sure, I'll watch a movie with you but you know Aubrey and Stacie are going to have a field day when they find out we're watching a movie alone together."

          "We should just start messing with them," Chloe said. "Maybe they'll stop trying to play matchmakers."

          The front door opened and Stacie stuck her head inside. "Are you two making-out yet or..."

          "We were actually just about to have sex on the stairs," Beca said, seriously. "I should probably go get the water bottles, though, and save the stair sex for later."

          "Smart ass... and sex on the stairs is horrible. I wouldn't recommend it," Stacie said before closing the door.     

          "Your sister is hilarious," Chloe said.

          Beca always relied on Stacie's humor to get her out of her bad moods when she had first learned that she would become blind. Her father and step-mother found it inappropriate but Beca had enjoyed it. "She really is. Let me grab the water and then we can go."

          Chloe followed Beca into the kitchen and looked around. This was her first time being somewhere in the house other than the studio and the living room. She watched as Beca opened the fridge and placed her hand on the first shelf before guiding it down to the second one. Once she located the shelf she wanted, she watched Beca pull out a few bottles of water and set them on the counter.

          The redhead noticed a pan on the stove and couldn't stop her curiosity from leaking out. "Do you cook?"

          "I do." Beca closed the fridge, smiling at the uncertainty she heard in Chloe's voice about asking the question. Beca moved to a cabinet and opened it before pulling a random item off the shelf. "This is paprika."

          "Do you just have everything memorized?" Chloe asked, intrigued.

          "That and..." Beca pointed to a label on the small bottle. "Almost everything in this house has a label on it."

          Chloe moved over to Beca and took the bottle from her. She smiled as she ran her finger over the Braille label. "That's neat."

          "Stacie's usually around when I do cook because I need help sometimes but I can hold my own in the kitchen," Beca said.

          "Then we can add dinner to our plans for tonight," Chloe said. "We can make something together."

          "Sure we can do that," Beca agreed.

          "Two for two," Chloe said, happily. "Maybe I should bring up the a cappella competition again."

          "Not happening." Beca was grateful that she still possessed the ability to at least say no to something as ridiculous as a cappella.

          "Fine, I'll try later."

          Beca could hear the playfulness in Chloe's voice and smiled. "Come on. We better get going before Stacie wonders what we're doing in here." Beca put the seasoning back before placing the water bottles in the backpack and leaving the house with Chloe.

 

 

 

          Beca and Chloe were walking behind Stacie and Aubrey as they talked about music and the instruments that they play.

          "You play the piano?" Chloe asked.

          "Of course. It's like a requirement to being blind." Beca smiled when she heard Chloe laugh. It was a nice sound.

          Aubrey turned to look at the two. "Let's stop for a moment and then start heading back."

          Chloe placed a hand on Beca's lower back. "There's a big rock to your left. We can sit on that." Chloe guided Beca to the rock and they sat down.

          "Thanks," Beca said, not minding the help. She shortened her cane and set it on her lap. She took the backpack off and set it down before taking out two bottles of water, handing one to Chloe.

          "Thank you." Chloe noticed Beca rub her shoulder and frowned. "You okay?"

          "Yeah, just a little sore from carrying the bag," Beca admitted. Chloe had offered to switch off with her so she didn't have to carry the bag up the whole trail just like Aubrey and Stacie had done with theirs but Beca had insisted she was fine.

          Instead of the "I told you so" that Beca was expecting. She felt two hands on her shoulders.

          "I'll give you a massage." Chloe began to work her fingers into Beca's shoulders and neck. "And I'll carry the backpack back down since you carried it up."

          Beca began to lose the tension in her shoulders from the massage until Chloe pressed harder into her shoulders, making her let out an involuntary moan. Beca stiffened at the sound she made and hoped Stacie was far enough away to not have heard it.

          Chloe let out a breathy chuckle. "Relax." Chloe didn't comment on the moan(the very hot moan, might she add) as she finished up the massage. "There. Feel better?"

          "Yeah, thanks." Beca drank her water to have a reason not to speak.

          "Okay, guys. Let's head back down the trail," Aubrey said. "Is everyone up for dinner out somewhere later?"

          "Um, actually Beca and I have plans," Chloe said.

          Aubrey quirked an eyebrow. "What kind of plans?"

          "Just plans," Chloe responded.

          "Beca what kind of plans?" Stacie asked, wanting to not be left out of the details.

          Beca grinned. "Just a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Nothing interesting."

          "You guys suck," Aubrey huffed as she walked past them down the trail with Stacie.

          Chloe put Beca's backpack on. "They're going to make it their mission to find out what's going on tonight."

          "They'll be thoroughly disappointed when they find out it's something that doesn't involve us making out."

          Chloe couldn't help but think a make-out session with Beca would be very enjoyable but she quickly shook the thoughts from her head. She didn't want to date and she definitely didn't want to do a friends with benefits type of thing. She just wanted a friend and Beca was proving to be a good one.

         

         


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Stacie was sitting in Beca's living room while Beca was in her music studio working on a few tracks. She was currently painting her toenails when she heard the doorbell ring. She set her nail polish down and blew on her nails as she stood up and walked towards the front door.

          "Beca it's Jesse." She heard her sister's friend say through the intercom that was setup.

          She opened the door and smiled. "Hey, Jesse."

          "Hey." Jesse entered the house. "Heard you got yourself a girlfriend."

          Stacie smiled at the mention of Aubrey. "I do. I even made her breakfast the other day."

          Jesse's eyes widened in mock surprise. "You've been domesticated! I didn't know that was possible. What's next? Are you going to leave a toothbrush at her place... perhaps a pair of socks?"

          Stacie shrugged with a grin on her face. "The possibilities are endless."

          Jesse laughed. "I'm happy for you. I can't wait to meet her."

          "Thanks," Stacie said, knowing the man was genuine in his words. "Beca's downstairs. Is she expecting you?"

          "She is," Jesse nodded. "We have work to do." Jesse began to head to the basement but Stacie stopped him.

          "Do me a favor. Ask Beca what she's doing tonight," Stacie said. "Don't keep bugging her about it until you get an answer."

          Jesse frowned in confusion. "Any reason I'm doing that?"

          "Yeah, she won't tell me." Stacie turned Jesse around by his shoulders and pushed him towards the basement. "Text me what she tells you." Stacie went back into the living room to finish painting her toenails and wondered if Aubrey was having better luck getting information out of Chloe.

 

 

          Aubrey was staring at her red-headed best friend as the woman smiled and texted on her phone. She wondered if it was Beca but wasn't completely sure.

          Chloe rolled her eyes and looked over at Aubrey who was sitting beside her on the living room couch with her laptop in her lap working on something for work. "I can feel you staring at me."

          Aubrey saved what she was working on and looked at Chloe. "Who are you texting?"

          "Why?" Chloe asked.

          "Because you're smiling a lot," Aubrey pointed out.

          "I'm texting Beca if you must know."

          "She can do that?" Aubrey asked.

          "Her touch-screen phone has this cool software that represents Braille characters as vibrations. It's really cool."

          Aubrey frowned as she tried to think about how that worked. "Vibrations?"

          "Yeah, she places her finger on the screen and the intensity of the vibrations signifies what Braille would on paper. It sounds confusing but it works for her. Her phone can also read the message to her"

          Aubrey grinned at Chloe, knowing how the redhead got when she was developing a crush on someone. "You like her."

          "Yeah, she's really cool. We're already great friends." Chloe gave her attention back to her phone.

          "I meant as more than friends," Aubrey clarified. "You're super into her."

          "I'm not. Can't two lesbians be friends without wanting to bang each other?" Chloe asked.

          "In some cases, yes... in your case with this particular lesbian, no. So what are you two doing tonight? Is it a date?"

          "Yes, it's a date," Chloe answered. "We're going to have dinner, watch a movie and then have crazy amounts of sex."

          Aubrey sighed at how difficult Chloe was being about this. "Fine, don't tell me what you're going to do." Aubrey grabbed her phone and sent Stacie a text message asking if she had gotten anything out of her sister.

 

 

 

          Jesse was listening to a song Beca had wanted him to hear but as soon as it finished, he remembered what Stacie had asked him. "What are you doing tonight?"

          "Hanging out with a friend," Beca replied. "Why?"

          "Just wondering," Jesse replied. "Who's your friend?"

          "Her name's Chloe," Beca said.

          "Oh, so what are you and Chloe going to be doing?" Jesse asked.

          Beca shook her head and let out a sigh. "Did my sister tell you to get information out of me?"

          Jesse smiled. "Possibly."

          "Jesse," Beca warned.

          "She did, but now I'm curious. Is Chloe a girlfriend... future girlfriend... a sex buddy?"

          "None of the above," Beca answered. "Now let's play a game of stay out of Beca's personal life." Beca's phone vibrated in her hand letting her know that she had a text message.

          "Why won't you tell Stacie what you two are doing tonight?" Jesse asked, curiously.

          "Because she's trying to play matchmaker and if she hears what we're doing, she'll say it sounds like a date. We're going to cook dinner together and watch a movie."     

          Jesse was silent for a beat before responding. "You hate movies."

          "I know. Chloe talked me into it. She's kind of hard to say no to," Beca admitted. "She's really cool, Jesse. She doesn't treat me like an invalid and when I offer to get her a drink, she actually let's me get it. She doesn't say she'll get it herself because she thinks it's too hard for me."

          Jesse smiled to himself but said nothing. Beca was definitely into this Chloe person whether she realized it or not.

 

 

 

          Later that night, Beca was sitting on her couch responding to a message from Stacie when she heard the doorbell. She heard Chloe's voice through the intercom and smiled as stood up to put her phone into her pocket. She grabbed her sunglasses and put them on before going to answer the door.

          "Hey." Chloe had a grocery bag in her arms as she entered the house. "I didn't know what ingredients you already had for the dinner we're making tonight so I just bought some."

          Beca smiled. "That's perfect. Did Aubrey ever leave you alone?"

          "Not until I was out of our apartment," Chloe said. "She thinks we'd be a cute couple."

          "Stacie's still texting me about tonight. She must be going crazy trying to figure out what we're doing." Beca headed to the kitchen with Chloe following beside her. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and pulled it out.

          "Stacie?" Chloe asked as she set the grocery bag on the counter.

          "Yeah, here, listen." Beca pressed a button on her phone and Chloe listened as the phone read the message.

 

_Message from Stacie:_

_I know you two are probably doing something lame. Just tell me if it classifies as a date or not._

"May I?" Chloe placed her hand over Beca's hand that was holding the phone.

          "Go for it," Beca said, letting Chloe take her phone.

          Chloe read the message aloud as she typed it. "Beca's busy right now. She'll text you later. Winky face."

          Beca laughed. "Awesome. Now, let's get started on dinner. I'm starving." 

 

 

 

          Beca and Chloe worked pretty well together in the kitchen. Beca was expecting Chloe to take over her assigned duties like her father usually did during the rare times that they cooked together but Chloe was patient and willing to let Beca do her thing.

          Chloe had finished what she had to do and took a seat on top of the counter by the stove where she watched Beca carefully break an egg into a bowl for the dessert that she was making. Chloe wasn't sure if it was because Beca was blind or if it was just how she was but everything she did was careful and calculated.

          "You're quiet," Beca said as she continued her task at hand.

          "Just watching you work," Chloe said. "Thanks for agreeing to make dinner with me. This is fun."

          Beca smiled. "Thanks for not hovering. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

          "I figured if you needed anything, you would ask," Chloe said.

          "If only my dad could do that," Beca said. "I swear the man thinks I can't even brush my teeth by myself." Beca began to mix the contents of the bowl.

          "Do you two not get along?" Chloe asked.

          "We do," Beca said. "He's just infuriating a lot of the time." Beca stopped stirring and wiped her hands on a nearby dishtowel. "Can you get this into the oven for me? I'm going to set the table."

          "Sure." Chloe hopped down from the counter and got started on her task while Beca got plates and such placed on the dining room table.

 

 

          After dinner, Beca and Chloe were sitting on the couch watching a movie that Chloe had brought over. It was a psychological thriller that the redhead thought Beca might enjoy.

          "She's walking into the dark room," Chloe narrated as she watched the movie.

          "Like an idiot," Beca sighed. "She's going to die."

          Chloe laughed lightly. "She's not. She's the main character. Okay, she's about to open the closet door."

          Beca grinned to herself as a thought popped into her head. She heard the creaking of the closet door and faked screamed in order to scare Chloe.

          Chloe jumped from Beca's scream as well as something falling out of the closet in the movie. "You're an ass!" She playfully slapped Beca's leg. "You scared me."

          Beca smiled. "That was the idea."

          "Pay attention to the movie. There's a dead man's body on the ground with a note taped to his chest. He fell out of the closet."

          "Is it her boyfriend? Because if it is, I have this movie figured out," Beca claimed.

          "Oh yeah?" Chloe asked. "Who killed him and why?"

          "It's her neighbor," Beca said. "He's the boy who her group of friends played that prank on. He's getting his revenge."

          "That's too obvious," Chloe said. "It's not the neighbor."

          "It's the neighbor," Beca insisted. "They want you to think it's too obvious so you think it's someone else but it's definitely him."

          Chloe smiled at how into the movie Beca actually was even though she wouldn't admit it. "Okay, I guess we'll find out." Chloe linked her arm with Beca's and rested her head on her shoulder.

          Beca was caught off guard by the action and Chloe felt her tense.

          "Sorry, I like to cuddle." Chloe raised her head and began to move her arm but was stopped.

          "It's fine," Beca said. "I don't mind. I just wasn't expecting it."

          Chloe smiled and rested her head back on Beca's shoulder.

          "What did the note say?" Beca asked.

          "Oh, it said prepare yourself for the inevitable."

         

 

         

         

         


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Chloe turned off the TV once the credits started rolling and glanced at Beca who didn't look too pleased. "It wasn't the neighbor."

          Beca could hear the teasing in Chloe's voice and smiled. "Shut up. It totally should've been the neighbor. It made the most sense."

          "Did you enjoy it besides being upset that you were wrong?" Chloe asked.

          "Yeah, watching a movie with you was fun," Beca admitted. "Maybe we can do it again... I mean, if you don't mind having to narrate."

          "I'm the one that suggested we watch a movie, remember?" Chloe asked. "I don't mind at all. This should totally be a weekly thing."

          Beca smiled at the thought of being able to spend more time with Chloe. "I can already hear Stacie with her line of questioning about what our movie nights will really entail." Beca's phone rang at that moment and her phone let her know that Stacie was calling. "It's like she knows we're talking about her." Beca picked up her phone and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

          "Still on your date?" Stacie asked.

          "I'm still hanging out with Chloe, yes," Beca answered.

          "Have you made a move yet?" Stacie asked.

          "Goodbye, Stacie," Beca said.

          "Wait!" Stacie stopped her. "I'm calling for a reason. When I come over tomorrow should I bring breakfast for just you or for Chloe as well?"

          "I'll see you tomorrow, Stacie." Beca ended the call and set her phone down.

          Chloe laughed. "So why does Stacie think you need a girlfriend?"

          Beca shrugged. "She can't fathom not being with someone whether it be dating or just for sex. What about you? Why does Aubrey want you with someone?"

          "I've been in crappy relationships. She thinks she can help me find someone that actually gets me and will treat me right. I just need a break from the dating scene to focus on myself, you know?"

          "Yeah, I get it," Beca said. "My relationships usually end because the women I date start babying me but the biggest reason tends to be that I'm not affectionate enough."

          "Oh, I've gotten the "you're too career driven" line so many times and apparently I'm not realistic enough."

          "I see your career driven and up you with "you're just not future material."

          Chloe's mouth fell open. "Harsh! What a bitch."

          Beca shrugged. "I tend to be career driven as well. People don't understand why I want to spend an extra hour finishing a mix before I want to spend time with them. Hey, I've never asked you what you do."

          Chloe smiled. "I work in graphic design and on the side I paint."

          Beca was intrigued by this new information. "An artist? That suits your personality. Do you sell your stuff?"

          "I do," Chloe answered. "Quite often, actually. Not to sound conceited or anything. I can get lost in painting for hours. It's really a nice stress reliever. Just like mixing is for you. People just don't understand us artsy types."

          There was a knock at the door and Beca frowned, wondering if Stacie would actually stop by to find out what they were doing. She heard the intercom cut in and her father's voice letting her know that it was him.

          Beca sighed and stood up. "Sorry, that's my dad. He likes to stop by uninvited from time to time."

          "It's okay. I'll just wait here for you," Chloe said.

          Beca left the living room and went to the front door. When she opened it, she wasn't the nicest in her greeting. "What are you doing here?"

          "Nice to see you too," her father said as he stepped into the house. "Have you eaten?"

          "Why didn't you call?" Beca asked.

          "I was in the area," Ethan said. "So have you eaten? I bought you some fast food."

          "I've eaten," Beca said.

          Ethan frowned. "But Stacie said she wasn't having dinner with you tonight. Did you eat with Jesse?"

          "I'm capable of feeding myself, Dad," Beca's annoyance was already rising.

          "Well okay, I'll keep the burger. Sorry for wanting you to not starve."

          Beca sighed. "Thanks, Dad. I appreciate the thought. Now can you go?"

          "What? You don't want to hangout with your old man?" Ethan asked. "Come on, we can talk in the living room."

          Beca didn't bother to protest. She let the man walk into the living room and smiled when she heard him say, "oh" at seeing Chloe.

          "I didn't realize you had a guest over," Ethan said. "You should've said something."

          Chloe stood up from the couch and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Chloe."

          "Hi, Chloe. I'm Beca's father, Ethan. Sorry this is the first time we're meeting. Beca never tells me when she's dating someone."

          "Oh, we're-,"

          "You've got yourself a pretty one here, Beca," Ethan said. "I'll just get going now. Sorry to barge in like this."

          "Dad she's just a-,"

          "I'll call you later, Becs," Ethan cut in.

          Beca heard the front door close and shook her head. "I'm sorry about him. I'll set him straight tomorrow."

          Chloe giggled. "It's fine. Is he always like that?"

          "Pretty much," Beca nodded. "By tomorrow he'll have a ton of questions about you. He'll be heartbroken when he learns you're just a friend. So, did you want to do anything else?"

          "I'd really like to hear more of your mixes," Chloe said.

          Beca smiled. "I'll go grab my ipod."

 

 

 

          Minutes of listening to music quickly turned into hours and before Beca knew it, she was showing Chloe to the guest room.

          "Thanks for letting me crash here," Chloe said. "And for letting me hear all of those mixes. You're seriously the best. I've never heard songs so seamlessly put together."

          Beca smiled at the compliment. "Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed them. Make yourself at home. I'll see you in the morning." Beca headed to her room and removed her sunglasses before changing into shorts and a t-shirt. As she got comfortable in bed, her mind immediately drifted to her evening with Chloe. A slight smile appeared on her face as she thought about how fun it had been having dinner and watching a movie with the redhead. She had even enjoyed a movie. Well, maybe she enjoyed listening to Chloe speak more than what was actually happening in the movie, but either way, it was a good experience.

          Realization of her feeling for Chloe struck her and Beca let out an exaggerated sigh. She couldn't have a crush on Chloe. She had already been put in the friend zone and she had no idea how to dig herself out of it.

 

 

 

 

          Beca fought the urge to punch her sister as the brunette laughed at what she had just told her.

          "You have a crush on her? What happened to you not wanting a girlfriend?"

          Stacie and Beca were sitting in Beca's kitchen having breakfast. Chloe had already left before she arrived and Beca was glad. The last thing she needed was Stacie making things awkward for her in front of the redhead.

          "That was before."

          "Before what?" Stacie asked.

          Beca sighed. "Before I realized how cool she is. She's the perfect woman, Stacie. She shows actual interest in my music, she doesn't give me special treatment because I'm blind and... ugh, I just like her okay?"

          "This is too cute. When's the last time you've even had a crush?" Stacie asked.

          "No idea. What should I do? I can't ask her out. She's not looking to be in a relationship. I couldn't even sleep last night. I stayed up putting a C.D. together for her."

          Stacie laughed. "You made her a C.D.? That's so cute. Maybe you can make her a note that says, "will you go out with me? Check yes or no."

          "Shut up. She likes music. She'd appreciate the gesture." Beca ran a hand through her hair. "I'm too grown for this shit."  
          "Hey, I think it's cute and I think you should ask her out," Stacie insisted. "I've seen her with you. You're definitely not in the friend zone."

          "Really? You don't think so?"

          "I could've majored in women. I'm a pro at reading them," Stacie said. "I know she's into you. Ask her out."

          Beca's phone rang and she smiled when she heard Chloe's name. She picked up the device and answered it. "Hey."

          "Hey, thanks again for letting me stay the night," Chloe said. "And just in case I haven't said it enough, last night was fun. You don't know how nice it was to just hangout with a really cool person and not have them ruin the friendship by trying to make a move or telling me they like me. Anyway, I'm sure I'll see you at some point today. Aubrey wants us all to do something together."

          "Okay, yeah... see you later," Beca said, feeling dejected even though she hadn't put her feelings out there.  

          "That didn't sound like you asking her out," Stacie said.

          "I'm definitely in the friend zone and you definitely couldn't have majored in women," Beca said.

          "What? Why?" Stacie frowned. "What'd she say?" Beca repeated Chloe's words and Stacie felt bad for Beca. "That does come off as sounding a little friend zone-ish but there's still hope."      

          "Just stop right there," Beca pleaded. "I don't need you trying to do anything. I'm fine with being just friends with Chloe. Crushes go away. It's not a big deal. By next week, I'll be over it."

         


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Chloe was sitting in her room working on a drawing when Aubrey knocked on the door. She told the blonde to come in but stayed focused on her drawing.

          "Hey, what are you up to?" Aubrey asked as she plopped down on Chloe's bed.

          Chloe stilled her hand so the sudden movement of her bed wouldn't mess her up. "I'm just working on a sketch."

          Aubrey leaned over to look at the redhead's sketchpad and smirked when she saw a picture of Beca. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

          Chloe frowned. "No, why?"

          Aubrey gestured to the drawing. "That's an interesting picture." The sketch was of Beca sitting at the park. Aubrey knew that the two had gone to the park yesterday to talk and just enjoy the fresh air. Chloe must've started the sketch then.

          Chloe rolled her eyes. "It doesn't mean anything. I draw pictures of people all the time." Chloe finished up what she was doing before setting the sketchpad on her nightstand.

          "You do not," Aubrey stated. "You prefer environmental drawings."

          "Sorry for wanting to broaden my horizons," Chloe said, sarcastically. "Anyway, since you're here. I've been trying to talk Beca into helping us with our reunion performance. That's cool with you, right?"

          Aubrey frowned at hearing this information. "Why do we need her? I already have the whole thing planned out."

          Chloe fought the urge to let out an exasperated sigh. "I know. You want to perform the _same_ song and dance that made us lose."

          "That song and dance got us to the I.C.C.A's. It just wasn't delivered the way it should've been."

          "I think we just need a fresher look and sound," Chloe suggested. "You know, current music and more entertaining dance moves." The redhead knew from the look in her best friend's eyes that the blonde was pissed.

          "We're sticking to tradition, Chloe. We're doing things how we've always done it, okay?"

          Chloe sighed. "Yeah, okay. Whatever you say. I'm just a co-captain."

          "Don't be like that," Aubrey said. "You know I value your opinion. This is our opportunity to make up from losing to those stupid stuck-up assholes and I don't want to do anything to ruin our chances at winning."

          Chloe nodded. "Yeah, I get it." She really didn't. Aubrey had to realize that their material was outdated.

          A knock sounded at the door and Aubrey got up from the bed. "That's Stacie. We're going to a movie. I'll see you later."

          Chloe made a single hand motion, saying goodbye to Aubrey before picking her phone up from beside her. She found Beca in her contact list and called her.

          "Hey, what's up?" Beca answered.

          "Are you busy?" Chloe asked, hoping the answer would be no.

          "I'm just finishing up with a mix," Beca answered. "Want to come over?"

          Chloe smiled and got up from her bed. "Yeah, I'll be over in a few. Should I bring anything?"

          "Just yourself," Beca answered.

          "I can do that." Chloe made her way out of her apartment.

          "Hey, are you okay?" Beca could hear a hint of sadness in Chloe's voice.

          "Yeah, I'm fine," Chloe assured her. "I'll see you soon." Chloe ended the call and headed to her car.

 

 

 

 

          Beca retrieved the C.D. from her room that she had made Chloe a week ago but had decided against giving her. She could tell the redhead was feeling down on the phone and hoped to make her feel better. A knock sounded on the door and Beca grabbed her sunglasses before going to open it.

          Chloe smiled when she saw Beca. "I bought wine. You don't mind do you?" She asked as she entered the house.

          "Not at all." Beca closed the door. "So are you going to tell me what's really wrong?"

          "Kitchen," Chloe said as she headed off towards the kitchen. "And it's Aubrey."

          Beca headed to the kitchen and sat on the stool as Chloe popped open her bottle. "What'd Aubrey do?"

          "I mentioned wanting you to help us with our a cappella group if you'd finally agree to it and she shut me down," Chloe huffed. "She wants to perform the same tired songs and do the same lame choreography. "We'll never get anywhere with it. I would love to win nationals to make up for all our losses but she won't listen. She never listens to me when it comes to the Bellas. She thinks she knows best and she doesn't."

          "So why don't you tell her that," Beca suggested.

          Chloe retrieved a glass from one of the cabinets. "Because it'll start a fight and I'd rather not have to deal with that." Chloe sipped her wine before putting the bottle into the fridge. "She's so infuriating when it comes to this."

          "Do the other members of the group agree with you?" Beca asked.

          "Yes, but no one wants to stand up to her," Chloe said. "Don't get me wrong. Aubrey's a great person. She's just super competitive and gets into this uptight behavior. Anyway, how was your day?"

          "It was fine. I've been working on mixes all day so the distraction is great. I have something for you, actually."

          Chloe smiled. "Yeah?"

          "Yep, follow me." Beca headed to the living room with Chloe and felt around for the C.D. that was on the coffee table. Once her hand came into contact with the plastic case, she picked it up and handed it over to Chloe. "I made you a mix."

          Chloe smiled brightly at the case. Beca had written "random shit" on the C.D. "Thank you. This is really sweet of you."

          Beca shrugged. "It wasn't a problem. I figured you'd appreciate it. I don't know anyone besides me who loves music quite as much as you do."

          Chloe placed a kiss on Beca's cheek. "I can't wait to listen to it."

          Beca smiled at the feeling of Chloe's lips against her cheek and tried to not seem fazed by it. She sat down and Chloe joined her. "So what'd you want to do?"

          "We can just talk," Chloe said as she got comfortable on the couch. "You can tell me more about yourself. I feel like you know a lot about me and I know nothing about you."

          Beca smiled. "That's because you're more interesting than me. What do you want to know?"

          Chloe sipped her wine and set it down. "I have been wondering about one thing in particular."

          Beca was curious to know what the redhead wanted to know about her. "Ask away."

          "The sunglasses... why do you always wear them? I get why you wear them outside but why do you wear them inside?"

          "I don't. I mean, when it's Stacie or I'm by myself, I don't wear them."

          "So you have to be comfortable around someone not to wear them?" Chloe asked, trying not to be hurt by the realization.

          "Exactly," Beca answered, but then realized how they might sound. "For the most part anyway... sometimes I don't want to make someone uncomfortable so I leave them on."

          "It wouldn't make me uncomfortable," Chloe stated. "Just so you're aware."

          "That's good to know," Beca said with a hint of a smile.

          Chloe shifted on the couch so that she was facing Beca. She bit her lower lip as she reached her hand out, placing it on the side of the brunette's face.

          Beca stayed silent as her heart sped up and she hoped Chloe couldn't tell how nervous the action had made her.

          Chloe brought her other hand up to Beca's face and slowly began to remove the sunglasses, giving Beca ample time to stop her. Once the glasses were removed, she folded them shut and took in the sight of Beca. She smiled and brushed a strand of hair behind Beca's ear that had fallen to her face when she removed the glasses.

          The continued silence made Beca worry. "Are you all right?"

          "You're beautiful. Not that I didn't think you were before," she quickly added. "It's just... different seeing you this way. Your eyes are blue. They're gorgeous."

          Beca smiled at the compliment. "Thank you."

          Chloe set the sunglasses down on the coffee table and picked up the remote. "How about an impromptu movie night?"

          Beca was glad that the redhead didn't dwell on seeing her without her glasses. For some reason, when she took off the glasses in front of other people she had gotten to know well, it made them treat her differently. Like the removal of the glasses made it official that she was blind when they saw her eyes.      "Sounds good. Just no sappy romances."

          "I know, I know," Chloe laughed. "I won't put you through the torture."

          Chloe turned on the TV and cuddled up to Beca like she usually did when they were watching anything on TV.

          Beca did her best to ignore the butterflies flying rampant in her stomach at her close proximity to Chloe and hoped her crush on the redhead would soon disperse.

 

 

          Aubrey was making-out with Stacie in the living room when the redhead returned home. She pulled away from her girlfriend at the sound of the door opening and looked at Chloe.

          "Where'd you run off to?" Aubrey asked.

          "I was with Beca," Chloe answered.

          Aubrey and Stacie both grinned like idiots at hearing this. Stacie hadn't told Aubrey about Beca's crush on Chloe because she knew how upset her sister would be if she broke her promise, but that didn't stop her from plotting with Aubrey on a way to get the two together.

          "Really?" Aubrey began with a grin. "Would've never expected that. It's not like you two spend every waking moment together... you know, like couples do."

          Chloe rolled her eyes at her best friend's sarcastic tone, her earlier anger with the blonde forgotten. "We are just friends. Really good friends. I spend a lot of time with you."

          "Yeah, because we live together," Aubrey smirked. "Please just admit you have it bad for Beca."

          "I don't," Chloe stated, seriously.

          "Would you even think about dating her?" Stacie asked, hoping that Beca stood a chance with the redhead. She didn't want to see her sister get heartbroken.

          "Does just friends mean nothing to you guys?"

          Stacie grinned. "That didn't answer the question."

          "Hey, what do you have in your hand?" Aubrey asked, gesturing towards the C.D. case.

          Chloe smiled and held it up for them to see. "Beca made me a C.D."

          "You seem very happy about that," Aubrey pointed out. "Are you going to make one of those songs your new lady jam?"

          "Goodnight," Chloe said, choosing to ignore Aubrey.

          Stacie waited for Chloe to be gone before she looked at Aubrey. "We need a better game plan. I don't think harassing her about it will make her admit it."

          "We'll figure something out." Aubrey moved so that she was straddling Stacie's thighs. "But for right now, let's go back to what we were doing."

          Stacie happily obliged as she crashed her lips to Aubrey's.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Stacie was pushing a cart down an isle of the grocery store with Beca beside her. A week had gone by and Beca and Chloe were still only friends. Stacie could tell that her sister was growing miserable about this fact as her feelings for the redhead grew.

          Stacie picked up a bag of chips and tossed it into the cart. "So when are you going to tell Chloe?"

          Beca decided to feign ignorance on this one. "Tell Chloe what?"

          Stacie sighed at the response and continued down the isle. "That you're into her. You can't hide your feelings forever. Your feelings will boil over and erupt like a volcano or whatever."

          Beca smiled, amused by the analogy. "You're so deep, Stacie."

          Stacie nudged the shorter girl with her shoulder. "I'm being serious here. Tell Chloe how you feel. What do you have to lose?"

          "Her friendship," Beca answered. "Which I've come to value a lot. I'd hate to mess that all up because of my stupid feelings."

          "So if she started dating someone right now, you'd be fine with it?"

          Beca stilled the movement of her walking stick, making Stacie stop and look at her. "Why? Has she said something about dating anyone?"

          "Calm down. It was just a question... but that gave me my answer."

          Beca began moving again and let out a breath. "I can live with how things are. Now please stop bringing it up."

          Stacie rolled her eyes at Beca's reluctance to do something about her crush. "Fine. I'll stop talking about it... for a few hours."

          "You're a pain."

          "You love it."

          As the sisters continued their grocery shopping, Beca decided to bring something up, hoping Stacie would be able to help.

          "Aubrey's talked to you about the Barden Bellas, right?"

          "Yeah, it's all she's been talking about lately. She really wants to win it."

          "And you've heard the material she plans on using at the competition?"

          "Yeah, it's... yeah." Aubrey had shown her old videos of the Bellas performing and she wasn't surprised they had lost nationals to the other group, the Treblemakers. Their stuff wasn't as upbeat and entertaining. "It's an acquired taste."

          "It's something. Anyway, I really want to help Chloe out with this. She really wants to win and that won't happen with how Aubrey's doing things. I've already thought of a few songs that we could have them do and I was thinking you could do the choreography."

          "What I'm hearing is a lot of ways to get Aubrey to be pissed at me."        Things were going great with her relationship so the last thing Stacie wanted to do was give Aubrey a reason to be upset with her.

          "I'll just talk to her myself." That was the last thing Beca wanted to do but the need to see Chloe get what she wanted was too great. She would face Aubrey Posen and hope for the best.

 

 

 

         

          Stacie pulled up to Aubrey and Chloe's apartment where they had decided to have dinner. Beca had been hesitant about it due to the fact that she was uncomfortable when it came to being in a house that she wasn't used to. Stacie had managed to talk her into it though and she was silently hoping things wouldn't be a disaster.

          Stacie exited the car and got the grocery bag from the backseat before looking over the hood of the car at Beca. "Hey, relax. You look so damn tense."

Beca sighed. "You know I only ever hangout at my place. What if I break something?"

          "That only happened a few times and no one ever cares," Stacie stated. "Relax and have fun."

          "Okay, I'll try." Beca pulled open her walking cane and followed Stacie's voice as the brunette hummed 'Bed' by J. Holiday. "Seriously?"

          Stacie grinned. "Aubrey's a huge fucking tease and I'm horny. This song is like my anthem right now."

          "I'd rather walk into a wall than to listen to you hum that song." Beca joked.

          Stacie began to hum 'Bedrock' instead and Beca shook her head as she followed the tune into the apartment building.

          Once they reached the right door, Stacie knocked and within a few seconds, Aubrey opened the door. "Hey, babe." Aubrey kissed Stacie and stepped aside. "Hey, Beca. I heard you're good at poker. We're having game night."

          Beca smiled. "I am."

          "We found playing cards with Braille on them online and they got here today," Aubrey explained. "Chloe's been dying to play since you told her you misplaced your pack." She's in her room if you want to go get her."

          Aubrey guided Beca to the hall. "All the way down. It's the last door on the right. Chloe put Braille labels near the doorknobs so you'd know what each room is."

          Beca was surprised to hear that the redhead had taken the time to make her apartment even slightly accessible to her. Thank you." Beca began to head down the hall, moving her cane along the floor and feeling the Braille on each door as she did so. When she reached the last door, she ran her fingers over the Braille, which spelt out Chloe. Smiling, she knocked on the door and received a "come in." She pushed the door open and entered the room.

          "Hey, Beca. Give me a second to get my clothes on."

          Beca frowned at hearing this. What had she just walked in on? "Your clothes are off?"

          Chloe smiled as she pulled a shirt on over her head. "I just got out of the shower.

          "Should I leave?" Beca asked, trying to be polite even though she couldn't see anything.

          Chloe laughed lightly. "It's okay. I'm almost done." The redhead slipped her jeans on before moving to her dresser.

          Beca was sure her brain was short-circuiting. Thoughts of a naked Chloe filled her mind and she did her best to push them aside. "Thanks for the Braille labels on the door. That was... unexpected."

          "It wasn't a problem. I figured it would help. I just hope I labeled everything correctly. I bought a learning guide for Braille and went by that."           Chloe's eyes scanned the perfumes on her dresser until her eyes fell on the one that Beca had complimented the scent of on more than one occasion. "I kind of went label crazy. I even labeled the remote. Aubrey helped too, though. She found it to be a nice bonding experience." She sprayed the perfume on herself before moving over to Beca. "I just want you to make yourself at home, okay?"

          Beca smiled at the kindness of the redhead. "I'll try. Thanks, Chloe."

          Chloe linked her arm with Beca's before opening her room door. "No problem... just don't expect me to be nice when it comes to poker. I'm going to kick your ass."

          Beca laughed. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

 

 

 

 

          "More drinks," Aubrey said as she stood up, pulling Chloe with her. The two headed into the kitchen and the blonde turned to give Chloe a knowing look.

          Chloe frowned at her best friend's actions. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

          "You're so into her," Aubrey whispered.

          Chloe rolled her eyes at Aubrey bringing up the non-existent crush that she had on Beca. "And what makes you think that."

          Aubrey leaned in to take a whiff of Chloe's perfume. "First of all, you're wearing the perfume she likes."

          Chloe shrugged. "I like it too. That's why I own it."

          Aubrey smirked at the redhead's defensive behavior. "Okay, what about the smiling?"

          Chloe looked confused by this. "I'm not allowed to smile now?"

          "There's smiling and then there's _smiling._ Anytime she speaks, you practically shit rainbows."

          "Are we done here?" Chloe asked, not wanting Beca to overhear their conversation.

          Aubrey pulled apple juice out of the fridge and shook it in front of Chloe's face. "We haven't had apple juice in this house... ever. Now there are two bottles in the fridge."

          "Point?" Chloe asked.

          "It's Beca's favorite," Aubrey said as she poured it into a glass. "Are you hoping she comes over more often?"

          "Yeah, this is me walking away." Chloe grabbed the glass that Aubrey had just poured and headed back into the living room to give it to Beca.

         

 

 

         

          A few poker games later, Stacie and Aubrey had disappeared into Aubrey's room and Chloe doubted that they would be coming back out.

          "I thought Aubrey had a three-month rule," Beca stated as she moved to sit on the couch beside Chloe.

          "She doesn't. That rule is more like a test. If someone isn't interested after Aubrey tells them about her rule, then she knows that they never wanted anything serious."  

          Chloe and Beca heard a loud moan from Aubrey's room.

          "Apparently Stacie has passed that test," Beca said.

          "With flying colors. Aubrey couldn't hold out anymore." Chloe stood up from the couch. "Do you want to get out of here? There's a beach nearby."

          Beca stood up, relieved to not have to stay in the apartment. "I'm all for being anywhere not here."

          "And maybe we can get ice cream or something before we go," Chloe suggested. "On me."

          "I did destroy you in poker," Beca pointed out. "Free ice cream is the least you could do."

          Chloe laughed and linked her arm with Beca's out of habit before moving towards the door. "We'll have a rematch. I was just a little off my game tonight."

          "Excuses," Beca joked.

          "Shut up," Chloe said playfully as they exited the apartment." She actually found herself getting giddy at the thought of sitting with Beca at the beach. She hadn't been in awhile and going with the brunette seemed to be elevating her mood. A passing thought that maybe she liked Beca as more than a friend crossed her mind but she quickly dropped it. She enjoyed her friendship with Beca and she didn't want to ruin that.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

          Chloe was sitting silently on the sand watching as Beca repeatedly scooped the sand into her hand and let it slip through her fingers.

          Beca smiled and ceased her actions. "I can feel you staring at me."

          Chloe quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Is that like a sixth sense kind of thing? I've heard of people's other senses increasing when they lose their hearing or sight."

          Beca laughed and nudged Chloe gently with her shoulder. "I was just taking a wild guess. Glad to see that I was right though."

          "You're an ass. Do you have stronger senses, though? I'm intrigued by it now."

          Beca shrugged. "I guess I do. I've never thought about it before. But I think it's me just _noticing_ the feel and sounds of things more then it being that my senses have improved."

          Chloe was silent for a beat before continuing. "Can you tell who people are without them speaking?"

          "Yeah, from their scent and other random things. For example, if someone were to knock, I know that Jesse has an obnoxious knock. He knocks a tune.         Stacie's knock is lighter... when she does actually knock. My dad knocks like he's the police so that's his dead giveaway."

          Chloe chuckled at that. "How would you know if I was in the room?"

          "Well you never stop talking so it's not hard." Beca laughed when Chloe hit her gently on the thigh. "Besides your perfume.... when you sit beside me there isn't a gap between us like there is with everyone else. You like to be close to people."

          Chloe laced her arm through Beca's. "People? How do you know it's not just you?"

          Beca could hear the humor in Chloe's voice but she hoped that there was more to her question than just innocent flirtation. "I am pretty amazing so I can't blame you for wanting to be near me."

          "I do thoroughly enjoy your company," Chloe admitted as she took Beca's hand into her own. "So I never thought about this before but you might need a better idea of what I look like." She brought the hand up to her forehead and let Beca's fingers run along her scar. "I was introduced to a wall as a kid." Chloe dropped her hand and Beca's hand stayed where it was.

          "What a horrible meeting." Beca traced the tiny scar before moving her fingers down to glide along the side of Chloe's face. "Stacie said you have blue eyes."

          "I do," Chloe confirmed.

          "And red hair," Beca continued.

          Chloe grinned. "All natural."

          Beca moved her hand to Chloe's hair and ran her fingers through it. "I wish I could see you." Beca wasn't one to usually have these thoughts. She didn't mope or curse the universe for her inability to see. She was fine with picturing how people looked. She didn't want to picture Chloe, though. She wanted to see her because she knew whatever her mind created wouldn't do the woman justice. "Everything about you is so beautiful. I just don't think what I picture you as will be good enough."

          Chloe was moved by Beca's words and it took her a moment to respond. "That's really sweet of you to say, Beca." It was actually one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to her. Her heart was thumping in her chest as Beca's hand moved from her hair to the side of her face.

          Beca caressed Chloe's cheek before moving her thumb over the redhead's lips. She didn't know where her sudden boldness came from but she hoped she wouldn't regret her next move. She licked her lips and inched forward.

          Chloe met Beca in the middle, connecting their lips together in a gentle kiss. Their lips stayed pressed together for a few seconds before Beca snaked her tongue out, running it along Chloe's bottom lip. Chloe's lips parted and she moved her hand to Beca's side as their tongues met.

          Chloe broke the kiss and let out a breath as she ran a hand through her hair. "Beca..."

          Beca could already hear the regret in Chloe's voice and she moved so that there was space between them.

          "That shouldn't have happened," Chloe began. "I'm sorry. I got caught up in the moment.

          Beca didn't speak right away afraid that her voice would give away how hurt she was at hearing Chloe's words. Beca placed her hand in the sand and clenched it in her before raising her hand and let it slip through her fingers. "It's okay. I didn't mean for that to happen. We both got lost in the moment."

          Chloe bit her bottom lip as she tried to figure out how to smooth out the awkward moment that was taking place. "I really like you as a friend, Beca. I wouldn't want to do anything to ruin that."

          "I totally understand that," Beca assured her, putting on a fake smile even though she felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. "We make good friends."

          "Great friends," Chloe corrected. "So... we're cool?"

          Beca nodded. "Of course. It's already forgotten about." Beca quickly thought of a way she could ease the awkwardness between them. "So, I'm planning on talking to Aubrey about letting me help out with the Bellas."

          Chloe knew what Beca was trying to do and she appreciated the brunette trying to ease the tension but she couldn't really go from kissing Beca to having a normal conversation as if it had never happened. "That'd actually be really awesome of you. It might not end well, though."

          Beca could hear from the way Chloe's voice that she was distracted by the kiss that had happened. "I think I can handle Aubrey. Anyway, we should head back. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow."

          "I can just take you home," Chloe offered.

          "That's okay." Beca didn't want to suffer a lengthy car ride with Chloe if she didn't have to. "We can just go back to your place." Beca was going to just say she'd stay at the beach and Stacie could just pick her up but she knew Chloe would know how upset she was about the redhead's feelings about the kiss.

          Chloe worried her bottom lip, worried that her friendship with Beca was going to head into weird territory if she didn't fix things right away. "Beca I value your friendship and I just don't want to mess that up by having anything intimate happening between us."

          Beca moved her hand over the sand until she felt Chloe's hand against her finger tips. She placed her hand over Chloe's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Our friendship is still intact, Chloe. Like we already said, we both got caught up in the moment."

          The tension in Chloe's shoulders eased a bit but she couldn't help but be worried. "So if I call you tomorrow to hangout...."

          Beca offered a smile to help emphasize her words. "Then we'll hangout. We good?"

          Chloe pulled Beca into a side a hug. "Yeah, we're good."

          The two left the beach and slowly made their way to the car. Beca knew that she would have to hide her feelings from Chloe for the sake of their friendship but she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to do so. She definitely needed to have a talk with Stacie on the car ride home. Chloe was having similar thoughts. She needed to talk to Aubrey about what to do with the situation. She needed to go about things the right way in order to maintain her friendship with Beca. The two spent the drive home lost in their differentiating thoughts but they did have one similar thought. The kiss had been amazing.

 

 

 

         

          Jesse could tell that Beca was in a bad mood from her short responses and her lack of even trying to enlighten him by listening to his ramblings. They were out for lunch and she hadn't even touched her food. "Hey, Beca... are you doing all right?"

          "Yeah, why?" Beca asked, dully.

          "Because you're beating out Eeyore in the moping department," Jesse stated. "What's going on?"

          Beca sighed as she picked her cane up from her lap. "Can we leave?" She extended the cane and stood up from the table. Jesse wrapped up Beca's untouched sandwich and guided the brunette towards the door.

          Once they were outside and in the car, Jesse looked over at his friend. "What's got you down?"

          "I kissed Chloe," Beca said. "I kissed her and she kissed me back."

          Jesse smiled. "I'm not seeing the problem."

          "She said it was a mistake and that she just wants to be friends," Beca continued. "I played it off like I was cool with it but I'm not. I really like her and I want her to want to be with me. It's pathetic. Anyway, that was two days ago and we haven't spoken since. I thought we were fine but I ruined a really good friendship."

          "Have you tried calling her?" Jesse asked.

          Beca shook her head. "I was giving her time to contact me. I'm such an idiot. Of course someone as amazing as Chloe wouldn't be interested in me."

          "Hey, anyone wo-,"

          "Don't bother," Beca cut him off. "Let me have my pity party."

          Jesse decided not to push the subject. The last thing he wanted to do was upset the woman. "Is there anywhere you want to go?"

          Beca pressed a button on the watch she was wearing and it spoke out the time to her, letting her know that it was three in the afternoon. "If I give you an address, can you take me to it?"

          "Sure. What's the address?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Beca knocked on Aubrey and Chloe's apartment door and waited for Chloe to answer it. She hadn't exactly thought out a plan of action but she knew the redhead worked from home sometimes so she was hoping to be able to speak to her. When she heard the door open, she felt her nerves coming into play.

          "Beca," Aubrey said, surprised to see the brunette. "How are you? I've been meaning to call. Chloe's been acting weird. Do you have any idea why?"

          Beca was shocked that Chloe hadn't told Aubrey about their kiss. Maybe she really did want to just forget about it happening. "I'm okay. I was just stopping by to talk to Chloe. Is she around?"

          "She isn't," Aubrey said, apologetically. "She just ran to the store. She should be back soon. Do you want to wait?"

          "My friend is outside. He's my ride home so I guess I should just go," Beca said.

          "No, stay," Aubrey said. "Tell your friend he can go. I'll make sure you get home." Chloe had been a sad mess for the past two days and Aubrey wanted her and Beca to make up and get back to being inseparable.

          Beca pulled out her phone and texted Jesse to let him know that he could go. Once that was done, Beca took a seat in the living room with Aubrey.

          "Did you want anything to drink?" Aubrey asked.

          "I'm fine," Beca said. "Um, I've actually been wanting to talk to you about something... the Bellas."

          Aubrey frowned at hearing this. Why would Beca want to talk to her about her group for? "What's that?"

          "I had a chance to hear your set list and I was thinking I could help you update your material and since Stacie's a choreographer, she could help with the dance moves."

          Aubrey couldn't believe what she was hearing. She could handle her group. Why did no one have faith in her? "What I'm hearing is that you want to take over my group."

          "That's definitely not what I'm saying," Beca assured her. "Honestly, I could care less about a cappella and this reunion thing."

          "Then why bother with it?" Aubrey asked.

          "Because Chloe wants to win... and if I can make her dream a reality, then that would make it worth it."

          Aubrey was silent for a moment before speaking. "I'm not changing any of the songs or the dance moves. I will lead my group to victory without straying from tradition."

          "But-,"

          "But nothing," Aubrey cut her off. "Nothing's changing. I appreciate you wanting to help but I've got this. What you should be worried about is Chloe. What happened between you two?"

          Beca wasn't sure how to answer. Obviously Chloe didn't want Aubrey to know about their kiss or she would have told her by now.

          Aubrey sighed when she didn't get a response. "Fine, don't tell me but please fix it. Chloe really likes you and she's missed you these past few days."

          "Then why hasn't she called me?" Beca asked, feeling herself getting upset. "She made it seem like everything was fine but then she doesn't try to contact me for two days. She said the kiss wouldn't change anything but-." Beca quickly stopped speaking when she realized what she had said. _Shit._

          "The kiss?" Aubrey asked with wide eyes. "There was a kiss? How come she didn't tell me? Does Stacie know? Stacie totally knows doesn't she? She is so-,"

          "Stacie doesn't know," Beca replied. "I didn't tell her. I was afraid it would be blown up into this big thing and I didn't want anyone meddling in our relationship."

          "You two obviously need someone doing something," Aubrey stated. "You are two grown women. Why can't you just admit you both like each other and go out?"

          Beca ran her two hands through her hair in frustration. "I would love that. I would love for Chloe to be my girlfriend but she doesn't feel the same about me. She said the kiss was a mistake and she only sees me as a friend. I went along with it because I don't want to mess up our friendship but it sucks, okay? I really like her Aubrey."

          "Then tell her that," Aubrey said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

          "The worst is already happening. She's not speaking to me," Beca pointed out.

          "Great so then it can't get worse," Aubrey said. "Tell her how you feel."

          "I can't," Beca said, torn between telling Chloe her true feelings and trying to fix their friendship. "And please don't tell her any of this."

          Aubrey said nothing and Beca became worried that the other woman would spill her secret.

          "Aubrey," Beca said more sternly.

          "I won't say anything," Aubrey promised. "You just need to figure out if you want to stand by and be Chloe's friend or if you want to take a chance and have something great."

          The door to the apartment opened and Chloe froze when she saw Beca sitting on the couch with Aubrey.

          "Hey, Chloe." Aubrey quickly stood up and gave Chloe a "talk to her" look before addressing Beca. "Stacie's coming over after work. Maybe you could stay and have dinner with us."

          "Maybe... we'll see." Beca wasn't sure how her talk with Chloe would go but she was going to err on the side of pessimism as to not get her hopes up.      

          "I'll just... be in my room." Aubrey gave Chloe another look telling her that they would be talking later before walking away.

          "You told her," Chloe said as she moved to sit on the couch beside Beca.

          Beca was surprised to feel Chloe sitting right beside her, leaving no space between them. This was a good sign at least. "It slipped. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blurt it out."

          Chloe let out a breath. "It's fine. I kept it from her because I knew how she'd act. Staying out of my personal life isn't a thing she can do."

          "So are we going to talk about why you've been avoiding me?" Beca asked.

          "I wasn't avoiding you. I was waiting for you to message me and when it didn't happen, I figured you needed space," Chloe explained. "I know we said everything was fine between us but I wasn't sure if that was really the case with you."

          "It is. I wasn't messaging you because I thought you were upset about it. I'd be thrilled if we could just get back to normal." Beca hoped her lie sounded sincere enough to Chloe because it didn't to her own ears. "Watching a movie with Stacie isn't as appealing as it is with you. I think she makes up what's happening in scenes."

          Chloe laughed at the thought of the two sisters watching a movie together. "I could definitely see her doing that. Speaking of movies, we missed movie night didn't we?"

          "We did," Beca confirmed.                                     

          Chloe placed her hand over Beca's. "Do you want to stay and watch one now?"

          "Sure," Beca said. "Maybe Aubrey can join us. I tried talking to her about the Bellas but she wasn't having it."

          "Yeah, she's definitely a hard one to crack. Don't take it personally," Chloe said. "I'll go pick a movie and see if Aubrey wants to join us."

          Chloe knocked on Aubrey's door and cracked it open. "Hey, do you want to join us for a movie."

          The door opened further and Aubrey pulled Chloe into the room, closing the door quietly before glaring at the redhead.

          "What are you doing?" Aubrey asked.

          "Um... seeing if you want to watch a movie," Chloe said.

          "You like her Chloe," Aubrey snapped. "It's so freakin' obvious that you do so don't say that you don't and I know if you went for it, she'd be totally up for dating you. Why are you being difficult about this? She's perfect for you. She makes you smile and you get all annoyingly bubbly when she's around. Why fight it?"

          "Relationships don't work for me. Everything can be perfect but as soon as I start dating someone, they became assholes. I don't want my friendship with Beca to be ruined. I really don't."

          Aubrey's shoulders dropped and she looked at her best friend with sympathy. "I get what you're saying but don't let her get away from you because you're scared. You might end up regretting it."

          Chloe shook her head. "I won't. I'm fine with just being friends."

          Aubrey wanted to strangle her friend at this point but she bit her tongue. She would discuss this whole thing with Stacie and they would figure out how to knock some sense into the redhead. "You said something about a movie?"

          Chloe was relieved that Aubrey let the subject go. "Yeah, you said Stacie would be here soon, right? We could all watch."

          "I could use a movie," Aubrey said. "No romantic movies, though. You know I hate that unrealistic crap."    

          Chloe rolled her eyes. "You and Beca are ridiculous. Romantic movies are sweet. Anyway, I'll go tell her we're waiting for Stacie." Chloe left the room and made her way back to Beca. She hoped they could truly get back to being normal because she had missed the brunette a lot the last two days. She knew Aubrey was right about her feelings for Beca but that was something she didn't think she'd ever be willing to explore.  

         

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

          Chloe had her arm hooked with Beca's as she sat watching T.V. with her, Aubrey and Stacie. Stacie and Aubrey had been quietly watching the two during the show that Chloe had suggested they watch since they couldn't agree on a movie and they both wanted to gag from the cuteness. How the two weren't dating was beyond them.

          "Okay, there is someone running in the woods in a black hoodie," Chloe said to Beca, referring to the show they were watching.

          "I can't believe you have us watching this," Aubrey said about the show her best friend was obsessed with.

          "Hey, I'm fine with it," Stacie said. "Spencer could be reading the dictionary and I'd be happy. The show wasn't lying when they said they were pretty little liars."

          Aubrey gave Stacie a look that told her she would definitely not be seeing the inside of her bedroom tonight if she kept talking.

          "But they don't have anything on you, Bree," Stacie smiled, hoping to have gotten herself out of the doghouse.

          "Save it," Aubrey said. "You can thank your pretty little liars when you're not getting any tonight."

          "Shut up, you two," Chloe said. "Beca's missing the best parts." Chloe continued to narrate the show to Beca, who actually found that she was enjoying it. Her fondness of the show may have had something to do with how excited Chloe sounded as she spoke about it. She was totally fine with being bias, though if it meant a few more hours of sitting on the couch close to the redhead.

          As another episode started, Aubrey glanced over at Beca and Chloe and saw that Chloe's head was now resting on Beca's shoulder. The blonde nudged her girlfriend, who was immersed in the show, and gestured to Beca and Chloe.

          Stacie smiled at the sight of the two but refrained from making her usual teasing comments. Aubrey had told her about the kiss so she didn't want to cause any awkwardness between the two when they had just started speaking again.

          Aubrey gestured for Stacie to follow her and the two quietly got up from the couch and made their way to the bedroom.

          Aubrey closed her room door and let out a breath. "Those two are going to drive me crazy. Beca won't admit her feelings to Chloe and Chloe is just denying having any. But look at them out there. They might as well be dating. I just can't with them. What are we going to do? Pointing out their feelings for each other obviously isn't working."

          Stacie ran a few ideas through her head before she finally came up with something. "How about we let them figure it out on their own?"

          Aubrey raised an eyebrow at hearing this. Stacie was the queen of interfering and now she was deciding she wanted to leave Beca and Chloe's relationship up to them? "But they're being stupid about the whole thing. I thought you wanted to get them together."

          "I do. I just think this is something they'll have to figure out on their own. That doesn't mean we can't voice our opinions and give them a little push here and there. Possibly even set Beca up on a date to make Chloe jealous."

          Aubrey smiled at this new idea. "That's perfect. Chloe is definitely the jealous type. She won't be able to stand Beca going on a date with someone. You're a genius."

          Stacie grinned and pulled Aubrey to her for a kiss but the blonde turned her head away. "And I haven't forgotten about your little crush on Spencer."

          Stacie pouted as she let her hands rest on Aubrey's waist. "Come on. I've been thinking about you all day." Stacie began to place kisses along Aubrey's neck.

          Aubrey pulled Stacie away from her neck and connected their lips in a heated kiss. It lasted about a minute before Aubrey pulled away. "We can't."

          "We so can." Stacie nipped at the blonde's neck, moving her hands to cup her ass.

          Aubrey tilted her head to the side to allow Stacie better access. "Then we'll have to stay quiet this time."

          "I have no problem staying quiet. You're the loud one," Stacie pointed out."

          Aubrey pushed Stacie onto the bed, surprising her girlfriend before  crawling on top of her. She guided her hands up the brunette's shirt and caressed her stomach. "You know what?"

          "What?" Stacie breathed out as Aubrey's fingers went under her bra.

          Aubrey bent down so her lips were by Stacie's ear. "Spencer would probably be quiet." Aubrey got off of Stacie. "You should go sleep with her."

          Before Stacie could protest, Aubrey was out of the room. Groaning, she got up and followed the blonde back to the living room. She rolled her eyes when she saw her girlfriend smirking. "Evil woman."

          Aubrey leaned over and kissed Stacie on the cheek. "Sh, your girlfriend is in this scene." She gestured to the television causing Stacie to fold her arms across her chest and glare at the T.V. for the remainder of the episode.

 

 

 

 

          Not even a few minutes into the episode, Stacie and Aubrey began to poke at each other, giggling at the other and a make-out session began.

          "Come on," Chloe whispered to Beca, linking her fingers with Beca's and helping her up from the couch.

          When the two reached her room, Chloe shut the door and let out a sigh. "Those two seriously never stop."

          "They're definitely attached at the lips," Beca agreed.

          "Get comfortable on my bed," Chloe said. "I'm going to turn some music on." Chloe booted up her laptop and glanced over at Beca who was removing her sunglasses. Chloe smiled at this and looked back at her laptop. As she pulled up the playlist of Beca's mixes, she heard the brunette speak.

          "What's this?"

          Chloe turned her head again and noticed that Beca was holding her sketchpad that happened to be turned to the most recent sketch she had been working on. "Oh, um... that's my sketchpad."

          Beca ran her fingers over the page. "What's it of?"

          Chloe's heartbeat sped up a bit at the question. "It's... it's you. One of a few." Chloe rolled her eyes at her words. She didn't want to come off as a creeper. "You're just nice to draw. You're really beautiful, Beca."

          Beca smile at the embarrassment she could hear in the redhead's voice. She set the sketchpad down as she heard one of her mixes envelope the room. "You still listen to that?"

          Chloe moved to sit beside the brunette. "Of course. It's amazing. I love listening to it. Your mixes make me feel... lighter somehow after listening to them."

          Beca's heart warmed at the compliment. She wanted to go home immediately and make a new playlist for Chloe's listening pleasure. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

          Chloe placed her hand on Beca's knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm just being honest. Never stop making music. You're absolutely amazing at it."

          "You're really going to give me a big ego if you don't stop," Beca joked as she picked up Chloe's sketchpad once more. "Tell me about what you drew."

          Chloe looked at the sketch of her and Beca sitting at the beach sharing a kiss. "Um... it's just us at the beach. You know... from that one time we went."

          Beca definitely remembered that night a few days ago. She didn't want their kiss to stop and it still hurt that Chloe had thought of it as a mistake. "I'm sure it's a beautiful picture." Beca handed the sketchpad to Chloe and the redhead placed it on her nightstand. Letting out a breath, Beca decided she needed to just go for it if she wanted to try and get what she wanted. "Chloe."

          "Yeah?"

          "That night at the beach... it wasn't a mistake to me. I didn't get lost in the moment. I wanted it to happen. I wanted to kiss you... I still do. I... I want you, Chloe." Beca was unbelievably nervous and she wondered if Stacie would be able to take her home after Chloe rejected her.

          "Beca-," Chloe began.

          "Don't... don't let fear control you right now. Just tell me how you feel about me. Be honest with me," Beca pleaded.

          Chloe bit her bottom lip as she wondered if she should follow her head or heart at this moment. Going with the latter, she let out a shaky breath. "I could fall for you and that really scares me."

          Beca wasn't expecting to hear that and she stayed silent for a moment, taking it in. "Trust me. I get that. These feelings are new territory for me but I'm willing to explore them. You wouldn't be falling alone."

          Not being able to fight her feelings anymore, Chloe leaned forward, surprising Beca with a kiss. It was a kiss filled with pent up frustration and want. Beca brought her hand up to the side of Chloe's face as the kiss increased in its intensity.

          When they finally broke the kiss in order to catch their breath, Chloe leaned her forehead against Beca's. "I want you."

          The pure lust in Chloe's voice made Beca want to melt. She connected their lips once again as she guided Chloe onto her back. Chloe tried to change their positions but Beca didn't allow it. "You're going to have to wait," Beca informed her with a smirk. "I want to touch you first."

          Chloe pulled Beca down to her for a kiss and moved her hands to the brunette's plaid shirt to unbutton it. As the kiss continued, Beca tugged at Chloe's shirt, causing them to pull away from each other for a moment so that it could be removed.

          Beca was straddling the redhead's thighs as Chloe laid beneath her. Beca trailed her hands up Chloe's stomach and smirked when she realized the woman hadn't bothered with a bra. She remained silent as she continued trailing her hands over Chloe's smooth skin. She slid her hands back up until she reached Chloe's breasts and gently squeezed them in her hands, eliciting a gasp from Chloe. She then pinched the redhead's nipples earning her a low moan.

          Beca bent down, placing several kisses along Chloe's neck and down her chest, capturing a nipple in her mouth and tugging at it with her teeth. Chloe bucked her hips at this action and desperately wanted Beca to touch her but remained patient as Beca continued her exploration of her body.

          Sucking Chloe's other nipple into her mouth, Beca reveled in the sound of Chloe's heavy breathing. Chloe had no idea what she was in for. Beca wanted to love her so thoroughly that she wouldn't be able to move for hours.

          Beca moved down to Chloe's stomach, placing kisses on every inch of skin she came across.

          "God, Beca," Chloe groaned out. She really needed Beca to touch her. She pulled at the tank top the brunette still had on. "Take this off. I want to feel you against me."

          Beca happily obliged, removing her shirt and bra before lowering herself onto Chloe. She moaned at the skin on skin contact and the feeling of their breasts pressing together.

          Chloe rubbed her hands up and down Beca's side and pushed her own hips up to relieve some tension as Beca initiated another kiss.

          Beca began a rhythm of grinding into Chloe, causing the redhead to dig her nails into her back.

          "Off." Chloe brought her hands down to Beca's jeans and popped the button open.

          Beca undid the button on Chloe's jeans and tugged them down her legs before she got up and removed her own jeans. She got back onto the bed and trailed her hands up and down Chloe's legs. Smiling, she bent down and began placing kisses from Chloe's ankle up to her thighs.

          "Beca I need you," Chloe breathed out, not being able to wait anymore.

          Beca ran her hands over Chloe's thighs. "Not yet." She ran her hand over Chloe's underwear, pressing the palm over her hand into the redhead's clit causing Chloe's body to jerk.

          "Fuck," Chloe groaned. She felt as if she would burst if Beca didn't take care of her soon. "Beca."

          Beca nipped at Chloe's inner thigh and then ran her tongue over it. "Soon."

          The brunette moved back up Chloe's body and let her hand roam the skin beneath her until she reached the redhead's face. She caressed Chloe's cheek and ran her thumb over her lips before leaning down to capture them with her own. Beca could swear she could hear how hard Chloe's heart was beating against her chest as they kissed. Her hand slid down Chloe's stomach and her fingers dipped into her underwear teasingly.

          "Please." Chloe bucked her hips.

          Beca ran her fingers through Chloe's slit and a moan escaped her at how wet the redhead was. She broke their kiss and attached her lips to Chloe's neck as she continued to touch her teasingly.

          Beca pulled her hand away from where Chloe wanted her and moved back down her body. She pulled Chloe's underwear off and trailed her hands back up between her legs. She pressed her thumb hard against Chloe's clit and smiled at the loud moan it gained her. Leaning down, she stroked her tongue up Chloe's slit, lightly.

          "Stop teasing," Chloe begged as she tangled her hand in Beca's hair. "Make me come."

          Beca ignored Chloe's words and pushed her tongue into the redhead, thrusting in and out of her a few times before pulling out of her.

          Beca removed her own underwear and moved back up Chloe's body, needing to relieve some tension herself. "Touch me," Beca whispered against Chloe's ear.

          Chloe moved her hand between Beca's body and immediately began to rub her clit in a circular motion.

          "Yes," Beca hissed in her ear.

          Chloe kept her eyes open, watching Beca's face take on a look of pleasure. She entered Beca quickly and began to thrust into her hard, making a loud moan escape the brunette.

          "Wait," Beca groaned out. "You first."

          Chloe flipped their positions and connected her lips with Beca's as she added a third finger to her efforts. She eventually made her way down between Beca's legs and sucked her clit until Beca came hard.

          Beca hoped the music playing drowned out her loud orgasm but she didn't have time to worry about that as she felt Chloe move up her body.

          "You okay?" Chloe asked before placing a kiss on her lips.

          Beca grinned. "Better than okay. You don't play fair, though."

          Chloe laughed. "I told you that I wanted you."

          "Well now it's my turn," Beca laid Chloe down on her back and immediately moved down between Chloe's legs. She wasted no time inserting her fingers into her and capturing her clit between her lips.

          "Fuck, you're amazing," Chloe breathed out as she felt her orgasm build within her. Within seconds, Chloe was coming and it felt never ending.

          Beca moved up beside Chloe and placed a kiss on her shoulder. "You make the best sounds ever."

          Chloe smiled, lazily as she tried to regain brain function. "You made me make them so you should be very proud of yourself."

          "Oh, trust me. I am," Beca joked. She ran along Chloe's side. "I want you again."

          Chloe turned to face Beca, capturing her lips in a heated kiss. "You can have me again... after I'm done with you."

 

 

          The next morning, Beca's body ached in the best way possible. She smiled remembering the night before and reached out beside her for Chloe. She frowned when she was met with clothes and her cell phone instead. Her phone beeped, alerting her of a missed text message and she picked it up to read it. Placing her fingers on the touch screen, the screen vibrated beneath her fingers.

          _Your clothes are folded on the bed beside you. I need to think about things. I'm sorry. -Chloe._

Fighting the urge to throw her phone across the room, Beca set it down and let out a breath before laying back down. She didn't understand what had gone wrong. They had had an amazing night. She had been positive that their relationship was going to progress from there but Chloe had run from her again and this time she didn't know if she would chase after her.  

         


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

A few days later, Beca was lying on her living room couch when she heard the doorbell ring and her father say her name through the intercom. Groaning, she rolled around on the couch and ignored her father's presence.

          The doorbell rang several more times and Ethan spoke through the intercom. "Beca I know you're in there. Stacie told me you've been in a bad mood these last few days. I'm here to take you out. We can go to your favorite restaurant."

          Beca remained where she was until she decided that she should probably answer the door before her father went to more extreme measures to get into the house.

          "Come on, Beca," Ethan continued. "I know that girl hurt you but you can't let that get you down. Not everyone is open-minded about being in a relationship with someone that is visually impaired and that's okay. You'll find someone who doesn't care."

          Beca froze a few feet away from the door at hearing her father's words. Letting out a sigh, she took the last few steps towards the door and opened it. "Not everything is about me being blind, Dad!"

          "Beca-,"

          "No," Beca cut him off. "You make everything about me not being able to see. We can't go to the museum. It's not fair to Beca. We can't go to the movies. It's not fair to Beca. We can't do family bowling nights anymore. It's not fair to Beca. I didn't even like bowling, Dad! I know you were just trying to make sure I never felt left out but you made me feel like a big inconvenience. There are plenty of things that I can still do. I'm not incapable of living... and I can take care of myself. Yes, I need help with things but I don' t need to be babied. And Chloe doesn't care that I'm blind, Dad. She really doesn't. She treats me like a person. Not like a person with a disability. So that's not the problem. She just... she doesn't want to ruin our friendship by taking things further, which sucks because she's perfect for me and I really _really_ want to be with her." Beca took a deep breath and released it. "Sorry, I just... I'm in a really bad mood."

          Ethan was surprised by his daughter's outburst but he definitely understood where she was coming from. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to suffocate you. Why didn't you say anything before?"

          "I did," Beca said. "You just never listened."

          "Okay, well, I'm listening now," Ethan assured her. "I'll stop babying you. I just want to be here for you when you need me."

          "I'll let you know when I need help," Beca said. "Okay?"

          "Okay," Ethan said.

          Stacie walked up to the door and smiled. "Beca we need to talk. Hi, Ethan."

          "Hey, Stacie," Ethan smiled. "I'll leave you two to it." Ethan began to walk away but stopped when he heard Beca call him.

          "Dad," Beca said. "Thanks for coming by to check on me."

          Ethan smiled at this. "Anytime, sweetheart."

          Once the man was gone, Stacie entered the house and pulled Beca towards the living room.

          "Why'd you tell my dad about Chloe?" Beca asked as she sat down.    

          "Because he wanted to know why you'd been so down lately," Stacie answered. "I still can't believe she hasn't spoken to you."

          "She has," Beca said. "She texted me saying that she just wants to stay friends and she's sorry that she confused matters. I just haven't texted her back."

          Stacie rolled her eyes. "Confusing matters is flirting or being overly nice. Falling into your vagina is a little beyond that."

          Beca couldn't help but smile at her sister's crude comment.

          ”So what are you thinking? Do you not want to be her friend?"

          "I thought I could be but I can't," Beca said. "There's more than friendship between us. I can't pretend otherwise."

          "Well, how do you feel about a date?" Stacie asked. "I know this girl-,"

          "No," Beca cut her off. "I don't want to go on a date."

          "It'll help you get over Chloe. Besides, I already told her you'd show up. Do you really want to stand someone up and make them feel like shit?"

          "You're an ass," Beca said. "I'm not going."

          "Okay, I'll let her show up at the restaurant and wait for you. When she realizes she's been stood up, she can go home and cry into a carton of Ben and Jerry's. I hope she doesn't have any self-esteem problems."

          "Me neither because I'm still not going on the date," Beca said, not giving in to Stacie's guilt trip.

          "Seriously, Beca," Stacie began. "It'll be just what you need to get over Chloe."

          "Not tonight, Stacie. I'm really not in the mood for it. I just want to work on my mixes and be miserable."

          "Fine, but don't get too comfortable in your misery because we're at least hanging out. Go take a shower so you look less like you barely survived a zombie apocalypse."

          Beca smiled and got up from the couch. "I'll be right back." The brunette left the living room and headed upstairs, leaving Stacie to her own devices.

          Stacie grabbed the remote for the television and was about to turn it on when she heard Beca's phone. She picked it up and saw that it was Chloe calling. She picked up the phone and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

          "Uh, hey, Stacie is Beca around?"

          "She's not, actually. She's out on a lunch date and she forgot her phone." Stacie felt horrible for lying but she had to do what she had to do in order to get these two together. "Did you want me to leave her a message?"

          "A date?" Chloe asked. "Like an actual date?"

          "Yeah, I set her up with-,"

          "You set her up?" Chloe interrupted.

          "I sure did. She's been moping around about you. You know, after you had sex with her and then decided to leave."

          "I went about things the wrong way," Chloe admitted. "I panicked. I didn't mean to hurt her."

          "But you did and if it is something you plan on doing again, then you need to leave Beca alone," Stacie warned. "I won't sit by and watch my sister get her heartbroken because you can't figure your shit out. And I thought I was the one with relationship issues."

          "I'll fix things," Chloe promised. "I just need her to answer my messages."

          "Well, I can't make her do that," Stacie said. "I can tell her you called, though."

          "You don't have to tell her I called. Thanks, Stacie." Chloe ended the call and Stacie grinned. She hoped her plan would work.

 

 

 

 

          Aubrey watched as Chloe picked her sketchpad up from beside her on the couch and began to draw with more ferocity than she had been before her phone call to Beca.

          "Is there a problem?" Aubrey asked.

          "Beca's on a date," Chloe said with a frown.

          "Isn't that a good thing?" Aubrey asked. "You don't want to be with her so she should move on."

          "It's not that I don't want to be with her," Chloe huffed. "It's just... I really enjoy our friendship.

          "And you don't want to ruin it, blah, blah, blah." Aubrey rolled her eyes. "It's already been ruined. You hurt her. Did you think falling into bed with her was going to help you maintain a friendship?"   

          Chloe ran a hand through her hair. "I wasn't thinking. I really wanted her so I went for it."

          "I don't understand what you're so afraid of," Aubrey said. "You obviously like her as more than a friend. Just be with her. Stop worrying about all the what ifs and just let things happen."

          "Relationships change everything," Chloe pointed out.

          "Stop worrying so much, Chloe. Dating a friend doesn't always change things for the worst. Sometimes they make things better."

          Chloe thought about her best friends words. She had been in plenty of relationships where she was friends with a person first and after dating, things would go downhill. She really didn't want that to be the case with Beca but she knew if she didn't at least try a relationship with her, she would always wonder if they could've worked. "You're right but how do I fix things? She won't even respond to my text messages."

          "I'll find out from Stacie when she's getting home from her date and then you can go see her," Aubrey said. "But we have Bellas' practice right now so let's go focus on that right now."

          Chloe got up from the couch. "Let me change and then we can go." Chloe entered her room wondering if Beca would be willing to accept her apology and give her a chance.

          Aubrey pulled out her cell phone and called Stacie to see what the brunette was up to.

          "Hey, babe," Stacie answered.

          "Hey. Beca actually agreed to that date?" Aubrey asked.        

          "Well, not exactly, no," Stacie said. "But I figured lying to Chloe about Beca going on a date was just as good as Beca actually going on a date so I went for it."

          Aubrey chuckled and shook her head. "You're horrible. Chloe wants to be with Beca. She plans on visiting her later so she can talk to her. How do you think that's going to work out?"

          "I'm not sure to be honest," Stacie said. "Beca's still upset so I hope Chloe's ready to work for her forgiveness."

          "I guess we'll find out in a few hours."

         

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Chloe walked up to Beca's house and rang the doorbell before speaking into the intercom. "Hey, Beca... it's Chloe." The redhead stood waiting anxiously for Beca to open the door. She had a feeling that the brunette wouldn't even bother giving her the time of day now but was surprised when she opened the door.

          "Hi," Beca greeted her, dryly.

          "Hey, can we talk?" Chloe asked.

          Beca stayed where she was, not making a move to let Chloe into the house. "What do you want to talk about? How you had sex with me and then left me alone the next morning? There really isn't much to say about that. I don't have time to talk to you right now, Chloe."

          "I heard you went on a date," Chloe said. "Um... I guess I was hoping I could talk to you before things got serious between you and..."

          "And no one," Beca said. "I didn't go on a date. But you don't have any right to get jealous. You can't say that you want to be friends, kiss me, say again that you just want to be friends and then sleep with me. I won't play this game with you."

          "It's not a game," Chloe promised. "I understand why you feel that way but I haven't meant to do this whole back and forth thing with you. I'm sorry, Beca. I do like you a lot and I want you in my life... as more than a friend."

          Beca was surprised to hear this but at the same time she was hesitant to take what Chloe was saying to heart. "For now... until you change your mind, right?"

          "No." Chloe took Beca's hand into hers but the brunette pulled it away. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

          "Maybe you should think some more about what you really want," Beca suggested. "I don't really know if I'm what you're looking for."

          "Beca." Before Chloe could finish speaking, Beca closed the door. Sighing, Chloe turned around and walked down the stairs just in time to see Stacie's car pulling up in the driveway.

          The brunette exited her car and approached Chloe with a box of pizza in her hand. "You're here."

          "You lied to me," Chloe said, irritated by the taller woman.

          "Don't say it like that. It was a little white lie. I figured making you jealous might make you realize how much you actually want to be with Beca," Stacie explained. "I was just trying to help."

          Chloe relaxed her shoulders and sat down on the steps. "I kind of fucked everything up with her."

          "Yeah, that's a bit of an understatement." Stacie sat down next to the brunette, letting the pizza box rest on her lap. "You not only hurt her but you embarrassed her, Chloe. She felt used. That's not a good feeling."

          Chloe ran both her hands through her hair. "I freaked. I should've thought about how she'd feel but I didn't. I hate that I made her feel that way, Stacie. I tried to fix things. I told her that I wanted to be with her but it wasn't enough. She doesn't trust me. I don't know what to do."

          "Do you really want to be with her?" Stacie asked.

          Chloe nodded. "I do. She makes me feel... I can't even put it into words. I'm always happy when I'm with her. I was scared before and I still am but I'm willing to give us a shot. I just need to figure out how to make things right."

          "Well, I can't help you there but you better come up with something fast." Stacie stood up. "I don't want to see my sister sulking about because of you anymore."

          Chloe stood up as well and an idea popped into her head. A huge smile took over her face and she looked at Stacie with excitement. "I.C.C.A's!"

          "What about that competition that has my girlfriend so exhausted from practicing that we only have sex twice a day?" Stacie asked with a huff.

          Chloe couldn't help but smirk at Stacie's annoyed words. "I could dedicate the set list to Beca. We could perform one of her mixes. I know which one would be perfect! I'd need your help, though. You could choreograph it... and then of course there's getting Beca to agree to going to the competition."

          "That sounds like a great idea but you are forgetting one thing," Stacie said.

          Chloe looked confused. "What?"

          "Getting Aubrey to agree to performing something other than what she has planned," Stacie pointed out.

          Chloe's shoulders dropped and a look of defeat took over her face. "I forgot about that. There's no way she'd let me change anything."

          "We'll tag team this. Tomorrow night make sure she's in a good mood and text me. I'll come over your apartment and we'll talk to her together."

          "Thank you so much, Stacie," Chloe said, her excitement returning. "I'll text you tomorrow."

          Chloe headed for her car and Stacie used her spare key to get into Beca's house. "Hey, Becs! I've got the pizza!"

          Stacie entered the living room and placed the pizza on the coffee table.  She moved towards the kitchen and found Beca sitting at the counter. "What are you doing?"

          "Why did you tell Chloe that I was on a date?" Beca asked.

          "Oh... you heard about that, huh?" Stacie sat on the stool beside her sister. "I was trying to make her jealous. I figured it would make her get her head out of her ass and ask you out."

          "Well, it worked," Beca said.

          "Then what's the problem?" Stacie asked.         

          "I don't think she knows what she really wants," Beca said. "And I can't be strung along. I won't let myself get hurt like that. She's already done a number on me. I'd be stupid to continue to let her hurt me."

          "Fair enough, but if it's any consolation, I think she means it when she says she's sorry," Stacie said.

          "I know she is," Beca said. "I just need her to really know what she wants."

          Sensing that Beca didn't want to have this conversation anymore, Stacie nudged the brunette with her shoulder. "I heard from my mom that you put your dad in his place earlier."

          Beca laughed. "Not one of my finest moments."

          "It was a long time coming." Stacie got up from the stool. "Come on. Let's eat pizza. I'm starving."

         

 

 

 

 

          The following day, Chloe had texted Stacie to come over once Aubrey was settled in the living room going over the set list. She was practicing her speech to Aubrey in her head when she heard a knock at the door. Quickly exiting her room, she reached the front door while Aubrey stayed immersed in the material.

          "Hey, ready to do this?" Stacie whispered.

          "If feeling slightly nauseous is ready, then yes," Chloe answered.

          "It'll be fine," Stacie said as she headed to the living room with Chloe. "Hey, babe." She went over to the couch and sat down next to Aubrey, kissing her on the cheek.

          "Hey, this is a nice surprise," Aubrey said, happily. "Sorry I've been so busy today. The competition is coming up soon and I just want everything to be perfect."

          "I totally understand," Stacie said. "Actually, speaking of the competition, Chloe had something she wanted to ask you."

          Chloe bit her lower lip and walked further into the living room. She took a seat across from Aubrey and Stacie and took a deep breath.

          "What is it?" Aubrey asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.

          "Um, you know that Beca is upset with me and everything, right?" Chloe asked.

          Aubrey nodded. "Yeah, that's kind of the main theme of the week. Have you two made up yet?"

          "Not yet but I was hoping you could help me with that," Chloe said.

          Stacie gave the redhead a thumbs up to try and encourage her.

          "You know I'll help in anyway I can," Aubrey stated, setting her papers on the coffee table.

          "Well, I was hoping that you'd... that you'd let me change the set list a bit... as a grand gesture to Beca." Chloe could tell from the blonde's raised eyebrows that she wasn't thrilled with this request.

          Aubrey shifted in her seat. "How much is a bit?"

          "Um... the whole thing," Chloe answered.

          Aubrey shot up from the couch. "Chloe do you know how hard I've worked on this set list?"

          "Not very hard because it's the same one we used to death the last two years of college," Chloe retorted.

          Aubrey folded her arms across her chest. "I've tweaked it. Even the choreography is a little different."

          "A little different but still stale," Chloe said. "Come on, Aubrey. This way I can possibly get the girl of my dreams _and_ we could win the competition."

          Chloe looked at Stacie as if to say "are you going to help me?" before continuing her rant. "I just want what's best for the Bellas. Stacie can choreograph the new dance with you."

          Aubrey shot a dirty look at her girlfriend. "You're in on this too?"

          Stacie looked up at the fuming blonde. "I think it's a good idea, Bree. It'll be fresh and upbeat. I've seen the Treblemakers YouTube videos. If you perform the song you plan on doing, then you won't win."

          "Do the others feel this way?" Aubrey asked, folding her arms across her chest.

          Chloe looked apologetically at her best friend and nodded. "They just didn't have the heart to say anything. We all want to do something fun. Beca's mixes are fun."

          "The competition is in three days," Aubrey pointed out.

          "I'm well aware of that," Chloe said. "The girls are willing to practice a new set list... if you agree to it that is."

          Aubrey was silent for a long moments, looking from Chloe to Stacie. She dropped her arms down to her side and sat back down on the couch. "Okay, I'm in. I want to hear the new set list and the choreography needs to be planned out to perfection... tonight."

          Stacie raised an eyebrow. "Tonight?"

          "Tonight or we're not doing it," Aubrey said.

          "Tonight is fine," Chloe jumped in, looking pleadingly at Stacie.

          Stacie stood up. "Okay, let's do this. Chloe get your laptop. We're going to my studio."

 

 

 

 

Two days later...

 

          Beca was in her studio finishing up with a track while Jesse sat beside her. She had become increasingly frustrated the last two days. Chloe hadn't contacted her, whenever she wanted to hangout with Stacie, she was with Chloe and Aubrey was living and breathing a cappella right now.

          "Stacie's totally abandoned me to hangout with Chloe," Beca stated once her mixing was done.

          Jesse looked shocked by the statement. "What? That's not true. She's just been busy with work. She's choreographing for a big name. Isn't she coming over tonight?"

          "If she doesn't cancel on me again," Beca said, gloomily.

          "She'll be here." Jesse knew what was going on but had been sworn to secrecy. "Have you spoken to Chloe lately?"

          "No, I think maybe she's decided that she doesn't want to be with me. I'm not surprised."

          "Don't be gloom and doom Beca," Jesse said. "be happy go lucky Beca."

          Beca chuckled lightly. "When am I ever happy go lucky?"

          "If I remember correctly, when you're with Chloe," Jesse answered. "Don't think the worst yet."

          Beca's phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out. "It's Stacie," she said after running her fingers over the screen. "She's coming down."

          The door opened and Stacie greeted her sister with a hug. "Hey, you. How has your day been?"

          "Fine. I've just been mixing all day," Beca said. "How was work?"

          "Tiring," Stacie answered.

          "How's Chloe?" Beca answered.

          "Fine, we-," Stacie stopped talking and rolled her eyes at herself for almost blowing her cover. "She's fine."

          "You're such a traitor," Beca said. "Why do you spend all your time with Chloe now?"

          "Chloe and Aubrey, actually," Stacie corrected. "Sorry, they've just been reworking their choreography and I've been helping them. I didn't think you'd be okay with it so I kept it to myself."

          "I'm not twelve," Beca said. "I wouldn't care if you were helping them."

          "Would you want to come with me tomorrow?" Stacie asked. "Their competition is at two."

          "I don't know," Beca said. "Chloe might not want me there."

          "Of course she would," Stacie said. "She asks about you all the time."

          "She has my number," Beca said. "She can invite me."

          "I have one better for you," Stacie said. "She's upstairs."

          Beca stiffened at hearing this. "What?"

          "She said she's upstairs," Jesse said with a smirk.

          "You should go say hi," Stacie said. "She came here to see you."

          "A heads up would've been nice," Beca said as she got up from her chair.

          "Yeah, whatever," Stacie said, amused as she watched Beca run a hand through her hair to make sure it looked decent. "Go speak to the woman."

          Beca took a deep breath and headed upstairs, hating that she was feeling nervous. She shouldn't be nervous. She should be angry. Angry that the redhead hadn't called her in two days. "Chloe?"

          "Right here," Chloe said from the front door. "I won't keep you long and don't be upset with Stacie. I asked her to let me come here. Sorry I've been preoccupying her time."

          Beca shrugged. "It's fine. Did you want to discuss something?"

          "Yeah, um... are you busy tomorrow?" Chloe asked. "I was hoping you'd be able to come to the I.C.C.A's. It's cool if you can't. It would just mean a lot to me if you could make it."

          "I don't know," Beca answered. "I can try."

          Chloe reached out and hesitantly took Beca's hand into hers, relieved when she didn't pull away. "I'm also hoping we can talk after the competition."

          "About?" Beca asked.

          "After the competition," Chloe said. "I should get going." She released Beca's hand and fought the urge to kiss the brunette on the lips. "Bye, Beca."

          "Chloe, wait." Beca heard the front door close and was thoroughly confused by the redhead's behavior. _I guess if I want to figure out what she wants, I have to attend the competition._

Beca was walking with her arm hooked with Stacie's and her other hand holding her cane. "This is a bad idea isn't it?"

          "Of course not," Stacie said. "She asked you to come. She obviously wants you here."

          The two entered the building where the competition was being held and walked down the hall until they reached the auditorium where the competition was being held.

          "She was being all cryptic yesterday," Beca continued. "I have a strong feeling she's going to say that she just wants to be friends."

          "Stop thinking about it. Enjoy the competition." Stacie entered an isle and sat down with Beca.

          Beca tried to not think about what Chloe could possibly want to talk about as she heard the first a cappella group get introduced, but it was hard for her to focus on anything else. She hadn't realized exactly how much she had missed the redhead until she had spoken to her yesterday and now she regretted not forgiving her when she had come to her house a few days ago.

          When the Barden Bellas was finally announced, Beca was surprised to hear "Price Tag" by Jesse J being sung by Aubrey. She listened intently as the song continued on and was shocked when she heard the group transition to Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)." She listened to Chloe sing the words and couldn't help but smile. She remembered when she had made the mix for the redhead after being forced to sit through _The Breakfast Club._ Chloe had been very passionate about making that one of the movies they watched during their movie night.

          As the song neared its end, Beca remembered the end of _The Breakfast Club_ and threw her fist in the air as the song picked up in tempo, hoping Chloe would see it and know that she was forgiven for what happened.

          She laughed as the song transitioned to "Give Me Everything" by Pitbull and clapped her hands together as she cheered for the group. Stacie smiled, happy to see that her sister was enjoying the performance.

          Once the song ended, everyone stood up and began to clap. Chloe handed her microphone off to Aubrey and rushed down the steps, heading to where Beca was standing. "What'd you think?" She asked the brunette once she reached her.

          Beca smiled. "You guys pulled that off amazingly."

          "I'm sorry for hurting you," Chloe said, still trying to catch her breath from the performance. "I've waited a really long time for someone like you and I hate that I almost let you get away."

          Beca removed her sunglasses and brought her hand up to caress Chloe's cheek. She ran her thumb over the redhead's bottom lip before leaning in to kiss her. Chloe smiled into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Beca's neck, deepening the kiss.

          "How much did you have to pay Aubrey to change the set list?" Beca asked against Chloe's lips.

          Chloe laughed. "Shut up and keep kissing me."

          Beca smiled, connecting their lips again and two got lost in each other as they forgot about the world around them.


End file.
